After a long dark year of grey skies, it’s time to “spring forward” once again!
This Sunday, at 2 AM, the clocks have jumped one hour. Americans in every state of the nation, except Hawaii and Arizona, have ultimately lost an hour of sleep, making mornings tougher than it already is in exchange for more evening light.
As spring break advances one hour closer, internal clocks wind out of sync. Most people become accustomed to Daylight savings over time — though, their circadian rhythm will typically take one day to adjust for each hour of time change.
Still, the system has its faults. The sudden shift in one’s body clock can be an inconvenience to society’s mental health and stability. Ever since the coronavirus has instilled mass quarantining across the nation, people have struggled to get their body and schedule in tune with each other — and Daylight savings isn’t helping.
Harvard specialists conducted a study on sleep as a part of their Coronavirus Update series, noting that approximately 30 percent to 35 percent of the population experience acute or short-term insomnia. High school teenagers have been getting up 5 minutes before entering class via Zoom.
Some even work wide awake throughout their “vampire hours,” using the mornings to get some shut eye instead. Taking this into consideration, losing an hour of sleep has its own adversities.
“My thoughts about daylight savings are nothing too special, however the only inconvenience in my daily life would be waking up an hour later than I normally do,” said Christian Cruz, a senior in the Health academy.
“It negatively affects me by messing with my sleep schedule, which in turns inhibits my production during the day, meaning school and work.”
Daylights saving is especially controversial in Florida — the Sunshine state known fors it’s bright and sunny days. Naturally bustling with tourism, consumers, and wealth, this jump will unfortunately affect the locals of all ages and can become a risk to their job and school work.
“I think it’s a huge inconvenience. Preferably, I like having more daylight, yet, I don’t see the purpose of Daylight savings. In Florida, tourism is severely attracted due to our sunlight, however it affects locals in the sense that everyone’s sleep schedules are disrupted,” said Melanie Fernandez, a sophomore in the Cambridge Engineering academy.
The bi-yearly desynchronization of our internal body clocks increase the risk of brain fog, car accidents, and even heart attacks. Sleep is an essential function to the human body. It allows the body and mind to recharge everyday, keeping residents safely alert and awake. However, healthy sleep helps the body stay away from diseases and mental health issues.
Daylight savings is an annually traditional concept, so there are no large-scale changes in sight as of yet. For now, American must “spring forward” and “fall back” to the best of their abilities. Remember to have those phones ready and set.
