Lose an hour of sleep, gain an hour of evening sunlight
Early Sunday morning, the United States — minus Hawaii and Arizona — will enter daylight saving time, the annual tradition of springing forward one hour.
Most Americans will lose an hour of sleep, but gain an extra hour of evening daylight.
The country has been divided on daylight saving time ever since Congress passed a law mandating it in March 1918. Back then, the U.S. was trying to conserve fuel and energy for World War I and shifted clocks to make use of natural evening sunlight.
There were no consistent rules for the practice until the Uniform Time Act was implemented by Congress in 1966, setting common start and ending dates for daylight saving time across the country.
In recent years, some lawmakers have advocated for eliminating daylight saving time while others have introduced bills to make it permanent.
Here’s more on the pros and cons of daylight saving time and why it’s probably not going away anytime soon.
For the first weeks of daylight saving time, sleep schedules may be thrown off. But for eight months, most people will have much more sun in their lives. With an extra hour of light, residents in Southern California can go horseback riding in Catalina, hiking ambitious trails or biking along L.A.’s coast.
Crime is also down during this time. A 2015 Brookings Institute study found that daylight saving time reduced the number of evening robberies. The study also said that robbery rates didn’t increase in the morning, even though those hours were darker.
Sleep experts say standard time is the healthier choice
While daylight saving time provides more sunlight and reduces crime, it also disrupts sleep patterns and raises the likelihood of collisions.
“The increased morning darkness, particularly in winter if daylight saving time were permanent, would create additional challenges, such as unsafe conditions for commuters and children heading to school,” according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Standard time, the academy notes, aligns more closely with our body’s natural circadian rhythms, which regulate sleep-wake cycles. More sunlight in the morning helps people wake up and feel more alert, while less sunlight exposure in the evening signals to our bodies that it’s time to wind down.
Daylight saving time isn’t going away anytime soon
While all but two states in the U.S. continue to observe daylight saving time, there is still disagreement about whether the practice should be eliminated or made permanent.
Twenty states have passed legislation or resolutions in the last seven years supporting year-round daylight saving time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
California is not among them. State Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) has unsuccessfully introduced legislation over the years to eliminate daylight saving time and establish standard time year-round. He reintroduced the bill this year.
In December, President Trump said Republicans would push to eliminate daylight saving time, calling it “inconvenient” and “costly.” This week, Trump said he won’t push for eliminating daylight saving time or making it permanent, as “it’s a 50/50 issue.”
