Daylight Saving Time and Its Effects
Daylight Saving Time (DST), also called Summer Time in the United Kingdom entails a period in the summer or spring when the start of the days coincide with natural daylight durations. During other times, it is referred to as Standard Time; however, the phenomenon is created after the fall back in the clock by one hour. The switching in the timeline is experienced in certain regions of the world; meaning that it is not a global phenomena that all people might expect. For the places that it occurs, individuals participate in changing or shifting the clocks two times a year. The process has had tremendous benefits besides the challenges that it causes to the people. For instance, people have better opportunity to engage in more life improvement opportunities besides offering chance for a safe environment to be created. It has also led to the economic improvement since the people have an extra hour to run their businesses; thus, creating more profits. In addition, reduced occurrences of road accidents and low criminal activities due to the extended time of the day have also been achieved due to the longer sunshine, leading to enhanced safety (Kellogg and Hendrik 211). However, various issues have been associated with the DST that affects people's well-being. For instance, health problems such as cardiovascular conditions have emerged; thus, reducing the quality of life of some people.
Thesis: The Importance of Daylight Saving Time
Regardless of the challenges that Daylight Saving Time may cause, the phenomenon is still vital in the promotion of wellness of the people since it promotes economic activities and the health of the individuals in the regions that experiences it.
Positive Effects of Daylight Saving Time
The change in time has been beneficial to the people in the regions affected in several ways. For instance, an extra hour of sunlight is created in the evenings due to the shift in the clock, which can be applied for performing other tasks. As such, individuals have more time to spend outdoors and take part in various recreational activities; thus, promoting happiness. A few years ago, the United States experienced an extension in the daylight period that covered Halloween. The period for the holiday was; hence, extended and the individuals enjoyed the moments. As a result, it resulted into more happy families since the parents had more tiome to spend with their young ones. According to research done by Aries and Guy, the amount of sunshine directly determines the level of happiness in the society (1860). In essence, people are less sad when there is more sun as they are able to take more time in the activities they like. The switching in the clock also leads to an additional hour of sleep. This is because when the clock hits two in the early morning, it reverts to one. The process causes more time for sleep for the people, which is associated with happiness. In essence, Lahti et al. demonstrates in his research that Daylight Saving Time is beneficial in the psychological development of individuals in the areas affected since they are able to get more time for relaxation and ease of pressure (1). Through the period, then lives are positively affected and the possibility of developing mental issues is reduced; thus, the quality of live is enhanced.
Reduced Road Accidents
During rush hours, there has been an increase in road accidents due to confusions that drivers face while driving. Besides, decreased visibility when on the road leads to unnecessary deaths of motorists and pedestrians on the highways during dusks and dawns. In such a way, there is need to analyze the changes that shifting the clock has on the fatalities that occur on the road (Sullivan 42). With the DST, fewer accidents are caused since the sun set later in the day after every person is out of work and the congestion in the roads have reduced. It has been proven that adopting the phenomena and keeping it year round without reversal to the Standard Time would reduce the rates of fatalities by 13% (Gaski and Jeff 44). Besides, congestions would be eliminated during such periods that will lead to elimination of inconveniences that may be caused by traffic jams. Therefore, DST is one of the strategies that highway authorities can apply to ensure that road accidents are reduced.
Increase in Activeness and Reduction in Crime Rates
In addition, DST promotes activeness of the people in the society and the individuals can take part in extra opportunities for personal developments. As seen in the suggestions of Kellogg and Hendrik, due to the extended time in the evening, individuals take part in various activities outdoors that may be helpful in personal development (211). For instance, one can engage in recreational activities during the free time, which is beneficial in creating an active community. The process has led to approximately 10% in the possibility of burning calories as seen in the research conducted by the University of Washington (Hirshleifer and Tyler 1020). Overall, through engagement in exercise activities during the extra time, the general health is improved and an active society is created. Through exercises, the fitness of the individuals is promoted and they can actively engage in team building in the society. In essence, a healthy society is based on the level of activeness of the people, which can be achieved through extended time of the day.
The crime rates are also curbed as a result of the effects of DST. Evidently, most of the criminal activities are perpetrated during the night; thus, an extension in the daylight time would lead to minimized offensive behaviors. One can be easily seen and identified when there is light as compared to darkness. According to Doleac and Nicholas, the extended time of the day as s result of Daytime Saving Time phenomenon is; thus, instrumental in curbing the robberies that are rampant in the urban areas (1103). As seen in the research studies by Harrison, later sunsets can lead to reduced criminal rates by close to 50% (296). In such a way, the society would be free from murder, rape, and robbery scenarios that have been on the rise. Moreover, additional costs can be saved in the security systems due to the additional time of the day (Roenneberg and Martha R441). The streetlights would not consume more energy since they would be put on for less time as compared to the periods during Standard Time. In addition, the security personnel would have some time off and engage in other activities that assist in national building leading to improved economic income. Therefore, maintaining the DST schedule across the year is vital in the deterrent of crime and creating a safe society.
Boost to the Economy
The economy also relies on Daylight Saving Time since people can engage in more businesses during the extra period. Retail sales, tourism, and hospitality are among the economic activities that are boosted by the shift in the clock. It has been evident that UK tourism sector can improve profitability by $5.6 billion every year if the DST phenomenon is initiated frequently (Harrison 291). Extended engagement in economic activities is created and the people are able to handle their economic duties appropriately. Since the government also collects returns from the investments, more wealth is created and economic growth boosted.
Disadvantages of Daylight Saving Time
On the contrary, Daylight Saving Time has been detrimental to the lives of the individuals in the regions it occurs due to the challenges it poses. One of the common disadvantages is the shorter winter evenings that lead to depressive situations. Notably, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is one of the conditions that are associated with the clock shifts that have affected various people (Gaski and Jeff 44). SAD involves a change in the normal functioning of the body due to the shifts in the seasons of the year. In such a way, an individual may experience changes in appetite, loss of moods, loss of energy, and many more symptoms as a result of the decreased evening durations (Hirshleifer and Tyler 1010). Besides, the rates of suicides have been on the rise when DST occurs; the latter relies on the fact that the satisfaction in life greatly depend on the phenomenon. Therefore, since people may become depressed due to the occurrence, suicide attempts may increase in the regions that face the shift in the clock.
The changes in time have been associated with a disruption in the body clocks and functioning of the biological processes, also known as circadian rhythm. As a result, tiredness emerges and most of the people are inconvenienced in the long run. This is because they are unable to handle activities effectively due to increased levels of fatigue as argued by Janszky et al. (238). For other individuals, the latter may pose serious health risks such as heart attacks. In essence, the increase in the attack by cardiovascular conditions also can be as a result of DST. The individuals may also be affected by extreme cases that lead to strokes. As seen in the research by Harrison, there is an increase in the cases of the health problem when Daytime Saving Time begins as compared to the other days during the Standard Time. Notably, stroke incidences go up by 8% for two days after the changes in the spring and fall period (Janszky et al. 240). In addition, jobs that require physical labor might also be affected by the shift in time since the workers are prone to accidents during these periods. Several workplace injuries have resulted from DST as demonstrated by the data on the accidents in the mining sites. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2013, demonstrated that there was a rise in cases of injuries in the summer months as compared to November and December that saw a decrease in the fatalities after the change to standard time. Therefore, Daytime Saving Time has an effect in the manner that people work and can lead to adverse effects to the survival of some individuals.
Energy Consumption
Although it was perceived that DST would be a solution towards reduction of energy used, the time change has shown opposite results in the strategy. As proposed by the founder of the phenomenon, extended day time would lower the expenses used in lighting homes, streets, and any place that required light (Kellogg and Hendrik 211). For instance, it was argued that the expenses that are incurred in operating lighting system such as buying candles are reduced. As such, it was a manner in which electrical consumption could be reduced as argued by the founder. Ironically, research studies have shown that there is higher need of heating and cooling processes due to the emergence of Daytime Saving Time, which consumes more energy (Kellogg and Hendrik 216). Extra daylight can also be a factor that contributes to higher expenditure among individuals. This is because people spend most of their time outdoors in the extra hour and can engage in additional duties that can lead to use of more money.
Conclusion
In summary, Daytime Saving Time has been instrumental in almost all aspects of people's lives. In most of the cases, the latter have resulted into creation of opportunities of relaxation since the people have more time outdoors; thus, there is a reduction in stressful conditions. In addition, the individuals can engage in extra economic activities that derive income. The governments, in this case, benefit from the generation of funds through increased taxation. Since the sun sets later in the day during the period, the accidents that happen in the road during rush hours are reduced. Besides, the level of crime goes down since the perpetrators can be easily identified during the extended time of the day. Even though several benefits have been associated to DST, challenges such as increased consumption of energy have been evident. In addition, the phenomenon have caused shifts in the body functions; thus, leading to susceptibility to cardiovascular attacks. The disadvantages, however, do not match the benefits that Daytime Saving Time has on the lives of the people. The phenomenon has been helpful in a number of ways that leads to creation of an effective community that allows for increased quality of life of the people.
Works Cited
Aries, Myriam BC, and Guy R. Newsham. "Effect of daylight saving time on lighting energy use: A literature review." Energy policy 36.6 (2008): 1858-1866.
Doleac, Jennifer L., and Nicholas J. Sanders. "Under the cover of darkness: How ambient light influences criminal activity." Review of Economics and Statistics 97.5 (2015): 1093-1103.
Gaski, John F., and Jeff Sagarin. "Detrimental effects of daylight-saving time on SAT scores." Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics 4.1 (2011): 44.
Harrison, Yvonne. "The impact of daylight saving time on sleep and related behaviours." Sleep medicine reviews 17.4 (2013): 285-292.
Hirshleifer, David, and Tyler Shumway. "Good day sunshine: Stock returns and the weather." The Journal of Finance 58.3 (2003): 1009-1032.
Janszky, Imre, et al. "Daylight saving time shifts and incidence of acute myocardial infarction–Swedish Register of Information and Knowledge About Swedish Heart Intensive Care Admissions (RIKS-HIA)." Sleep medicine 13.3 (2012): 237-242.
Kellogg, Ryan, and Hendrik Wolff. "Daylight time and energy: Evidence from an Australian experiment." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 56.3 (2008): 207-220.
Lahti, Tuuli A., et al. "Transition into daylight saving time influences the fragmentation of the rest-activity cycle." Journal of circadian rhythms 4.1 (2006): 1.
Roenneberg, Till, and Martha Merrow. "The circadian clock and human health." Current biology 26.10 (2016): R432-R443.
Sullivan, John M. "Characteristics of pedestrian risk in darkness." (2001).
