By Elaine Viets of the Femmes Fatales.
About the only ones happy with daylight-saving time in our household are our two cats, Harry and Mystery. They get fed an hour earlier.
Don and I are now five days into the time change and still stumbling around like a meteor hit our house. We can't quite wake up, we fall asleep in the afternoon and then can't sleep at usual time. We feel . . . off.
At least, we're not alone. The Los Angeles Times called for an end to daylight-saving time.
"There’s just no good reason to keep skipping back and forth in time every year," the paper says.
Amen.
Daylight-saving time is dangerous. "Multiple research studies have found a higher rate of car accidents on the Monday following the shift to daylight-saving time. The same association is not found with the Autumn time shift," says the American Sleep Association. The change disturbs our natural sleep cycle. It also causes an increase in heart attacks. "Judgment is affected, as are scholastic scores and losses on the stock market."
Experts say daylight-saving time is killing us. Our kids could flunk out of school. We could lose a bundle in the stock market – and that would definitely cause a heart attack.
So what are we doing about daylight-saving time?
The European Parliament is expected to outlaw it "later this month," according to the Times. California – always at the forefront – voted to start the process to move to year-round daylight-saving time as well. Only Hawaii and Arizona don't have daylight-saving time. About half the states want to get rid of it.
Too bad time change is a federal issue. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has introduced a bill to make daylight-saving time permanent for the entire country.
If the US got rid of daylight-saving time, we'd have more daylight, even in the winter. A study by the California Energy Commission also said, "there might be small savings in energy usage by sticking with permanent daylight-saving time." So it's good for the planet.
Some people might object because it would be permanently dark in the morning, but I'm ready to stop the semiannual change.
So what do you think, readers – do you want to end daylight-saving time? Or do you hate getting up in the dark in the morning?
I think it's time for a change.
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I’m not a fan of getting up when it is dark outside, but I love the extra hour of daylight in the evening. I went for my first run of the year after the change last night, and it was wonderful to have light the entire time and have my choice of routes as a result.
Adjusting takes me a little time, but it isn’t the end of the world. It seems like people get more upset about it every year. As long as we go permanent DST I’m okay with it. If it is permanent Standard time I’ll be upset.
Posted by: Mark | March 14, 2019 at 08:28 AM
Hi, Im at SleuthFest in Boca Raton through Monday, March 18. Ill answer your email when I return.
Best wishes,
Elaine
Posted by: ElaineViets | March 14, 2019 at 08:33 AM
I agree with Mark—I like the extra daylight in the evening, and I think I still have enough of an inner child to be excited about the time change heralding summer's approach, too. I'd be okay with staying with DST, but a permanent change to standard time would upset me.
Posted by: LynDee | March 14, 2019 at 08:39 AM
Hi, Im at SleuthFest in Boca Raton through Monday, March 18. Ill answer your email when I return.
Best wishes,
Elaine
Posted by: ElaineViets | March 14, 2019 at 08:45 AM
I only like the "fall back", the "spring forward" disrupts my life. I'd like to suggest just keeping the "fall back" each year, because I love getting that extra hour :-)
(in 24 years we'd be back at the same time we started)
Posted by: Theda | March 14, 2019 at 10:15 AM
Hi, Im at SleuthFest in Boca Raton through Monday, March 18. Ill answer your email when I return.
Best wishes,
Elaine
Posted by: ElaineViets | March 14, 2019 at 10:21 AM
I love daylight savings time! The extra light in the evening is what makes outdoor dining with friends so enjoyable. Going back and forth is a pain, but if we could be on DST all year, I'd go for it.
Posted by: Marcia Talley | March 14, 2019 at 11:41 AM
Apparently Elaine is at Sleuthfest! LOL.
Posted by: Marcia Talley | March 14, 2019 at 11:42 AM
Hi, Im at SleuthFest in Boca Raton through Monday, March 18. Ill answer your email when I return.
Best wishes,
Elaine
Posted by: ElaineViets | March 14, 2019 at 11:46 AM
Hi, Im at SleuthFest in Boca Raton through Monday, March 18. Ill answer your email when I return.
Best wishes,
Elaine
Posted by: ElaineViets | March 14, 2019 at 11:47 AM
I LOVE Daylight Saving Time! It’s the only time of year I feel energized and truly relaxed towards the end of the day.The extra sunlight does wonders for my mood.
Posted by: Deb Romano | March 16, 2019 at 06:12 PM
Hi, Im at SleuthFest in Boca Raton through Monday, March 18. Ill answer your email when I return.
Best wishes,
Elaine
Posted by: ElaineViets | March 16, 2019 at 06:18 PM
I agree with you . . . keep the clocks as they are.
Thoreau said "it's now everywhere" but for those who rely on clocks, it's nice not to have to keep changing them.
I hope SleauthFest was wonderful! <3
Posted by: Storyteller Mary | March 18, 2019 at 03:05 PM