OTwo Editor Alice Keegan considers the discourse surrounding Daylights Savings Time, from the health effects to the bureaucracy it involves.
Remembering to change the clock on your car, being confused about whether we’ve gained an hour or lost one – what’s really the point of it all? The Daylight Savings Time clock change is implemented in Ireland, along with approximately 70 other countries. In Ireland, the clocks 'spring forward' by one hour at 1am on the last Sunday of March and then they 'fall back' an hour at 2am on the last Sunday of October. The clock changing has a considerable (and some argue detrimental) biological impact on the human body. Therefore, individuals have called for an end to Daylight Savings for decades. There have even been proposals to abolish it in the EU. However, a number of hurdles have delayed any real progress relating to this discussion.
Daylight Savings was first introduced in the UK during World War I in order to conserve energy and maximise the working day. It was formally introduced in the 1960s in the US. is also still observed by Canada and certain areas of Australia. The clocks change in order to make the best use of the natural light as the Earth orbits the sun, changing its exposure. In winter, when it's naturally darker, the clocks go back by an hour, giving us the much talked about ‘extra hour in bed’. However, in summer, the clocks go forward and for a few months we enjoy the ‘grand stretch in the evenings’ and supposedly reap the benefits of all the increased sunlight DST has to offer.
Time changes can increase stroke risk and mood changes in addition to sleep disturbances. Studies have suggested that abandoning DST would have real benefits, potentially decreasing stroke and obesity cases. Bringing shorter and darker days during the winter, daylight savings disrupts the circadian rhythm of the body (our body’s own 24-hour clock which tells us when to wake up and to fall asleep). The health effects are even more prominent in the spring, when an hour of sleep is lost.
While any change in time can disrupt sleep and health in general, studies have shown that DST particularly impacts vascular health function and blood pressure regulation. Hormone levels are disrupted, stress levels are thereafter increased. This leads to both long term and short term health problems as it increases the risk of seasonal depression and anxiety when the clocks ‘fall back’ while other mental health issues and functional skills such as driving ability is impacted when the clocks ‘spring forward’.
Considering all of these adverse effects on people’s health, researchers have suggested that we put our body clocks first. In 2019, the European Parliament voted in favour of ending seasonal time changes, However, it has stalled for years due to legal and practical hurdles, such as Ireland potentially having two separate time zones should the UK decide to retain the seasonal clock changes. The war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic also led to further delays, and the European Commission has said that it does not plan to submit a new proposal on the matter to the Parliament. While in the United States the Senate put forward the Sunshine Protection Act that would bring an end to changing the clocks, similarly little progress has been made.
Daylight Savings has been criticised as arbitrary. People are reported to be more misaligned each time the clocks change. The lost hour in the springtime has a particular effect on our health, even bringing about sleep fragmentation which can last for up to a number of weeks afterwards. However, there are geographical and political considerations that come with global observance (or non-observance) of the biannual time shift. Maybe at some point in the future we will see the end of “spring forward, fall back”, but for now it seems that it is logistically easier for institutions such as the EU to leave it to one side, despite all scientific evidence.