One of the most common topics that comes up in conversations every year around March is if we should continue with daylight savings. Some people dislike daylight savings because it can interrupt their sleeping patterns and make them more tired during the day. Others appreciate daylight savings because it optimizes the amount of light each day, which can allow for people to do certain activities that require more light.
I see daylight saving time generally as a good thing, since daylight savings optimizes the amount of light we get during the spring and summer, it actually benefits our quality of life.
Daylight savings in the spring means there is sunlight for evening activities and sports, providing an extra hour to get outside. This was always a great experience for me as a kid, because being able to be outside later in the day with friends was a fun and healthy way to pass the time.
The amount of sunlight being shifted towards later in the day is also beneficial because people have more mobility in terms of what they want to be doing during the day. Having the sun out for longer into the evening makes me feel energized and motivated, regardless of the amount of sleep I’m getting.
Having daylight at more ideal times each day can also be good for people who have seasonal depression, or dislike the winter months because of the lack of sun as well as the cold.
The sun setting later in the day is great for high school students like myself because it gives me more time to get home while it’s still light out from extracurricular activities. I always feel more tired when it’s dark out so having daylight later is good for my productivity and mental health.
There’s even an argument that having more sun later in the day has the positive effect of lessening artificial light use, which is more common during the evenings. Having more natural light later in the day reduces the need for lamps and such during prime evening activity hours. While some could argue the same is true in the morning, I would argue more people are active during the evening than early in the morning, so there is more of a need for light.
Using more sunlight than artificial light later in the day is beneficial because sunlight has a better impact on human health. Sunlight is a valuable source of vitamin D, and is also better for the eyes than artificial light is. By having daylight at more ideal hours of the day, there is less use of artificial light, which is not as good for human health as sunlight is.
Overall, sunlight extending later in the day is beneficial as it allows for people to work comfortably, have less of a need to use artificial light, and can even help seasonal depression. While many may be frustrated by fall back and spring forward interrupting their sleep schedules, the overall benefits of daylight savings outway the hour of sleep you may have lost.
