Wow! This year is just flying right by! Can you believe it’s March already? Not only is it March, but it’s almost halfway
over! Unfortunately, whether you’re
ready or not; it’s time to Spring Forward!
At 2am tomorrow the clocks will jump ahead to 3am. Which means 60 minutes will be shaved off
your precious sleep time.
Items
like your analog watch, microwaves, stove, car, etc. may need to be have their clock manually
changed. Luckily, most cell phones, activity trackers, tablets, computers, DVRs, etc. automatically update; but it’s always
best to double check.
So if
you’re going to bed before 2am and have clocks to manually set, it’s probably
best to update them before you go to bed so you’re not late for anything.
Here are
some interesting facts I found about Daylight Saving Time:
The U.S.
Department of Transportation is actually in “charge” of Daylight Saving Time.
The U.S.
Department of Transportation stated that switching to Daylight Saving Time reduces
energy use, saves lives by preventing traffic accidents and decreases crime.
A study
in Finland found a spike in heart attacks during the first week of the new
time. Researchers associated the results
with sleep deprivation, which affects heart health.
A
Canadian researcher found a 5% to 7% increase in fatal car accidents in the
three days after the switch to Daylight Saving Time. Other studies have seen a
similar increase in accidents in the fall when we gain that hour back.
Researchers
have also found switching to Daylight Saving Time uses 1% less energy for
lighting but 2 to 3% more for heating and air-conditioning.
In the
U.S., Hawaii and most of Arizona, as well as American territories, don't
observe Daylight Saving Time.
Less
than 40% of the countries in the world use Daylight Saving Time.
Some
countries use it to make better use of the natural daylight in the evenings.
The difference in light is most noticeable in the areas close to the Poles,
i.e. furthest away from the Earth's Equator.
This
April marks the 100th Anniversary.
Even though Germany is commonly known as the first country to implement
Daylight Saving Time, Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada implemented Daylight
Saving Time already in 1908. The first use of modern Daylight Saving Time in
Germany was on April 30, 1916.
Daylight
Saving Time isn’t for farmers, as you may have learned in school.
The
general concept is to move an hour of sunlight from the early morning, when
many would sleep through it, to the evening, when you could most likely do more
with the light. “For most people, an
extra hour of daylight in the evening after work or after school is much more
usable than the hour of daylight in the morning,” said David Prerau, the author
of “Seize the Daylight.”
Daylight
Saving Time also has a big impact on the economy. When days are longer or rather, when they
seem longer due to extended daylight – people tend to spend more money on
everything from tourism and recreation to shopping and restaurants. Michael Downing, a Tufts University professor
and author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time,
stated, that one of
the original arguments for Daylight Saving Time – it would save energy and
money – is just plain false today: “We’re told we’re saving energy, but when
Americans go outside and go to the park and go to the mall, we don’t walk – we
get in our cars and drive. So for the past 100 years, the dirty secret is
Daylight Saving Time increases gasoline consumption.”
Before
lights were installed in professional stadiums, Major League Baseball had to
end some games in ties because of darkness, and fans often felt robbed by such
dissatisfying endings. In the two seasons after daylight saving began, the
number of ties decreased to five from 22.
So if
your city partakes in Daylight Saving Time, set your clocks ahead at 8pm or 9pm
tonight so it’s one less thing to worry about in the morning. Be sure to get plenty of sleep tonight. Drink lots of water to stay hydrated and refreshed. Get plenty of sunlight once you awake as
daylight helps to stop your body from continuing to produce melatonin. Also, be extra careful on the road. The
darker part of the day now falls in the morning hours and people may be tired.
It's a good time to play it extra safe on the roads.
For more
information on Daylight Saving Time facts, check out the sources below:
