This Sunday, November 3rd, 2024, folks across Colorado—and most of the U.S.—will turn their clocks back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time. For most of us, this means an “extra” hour of sleep, as we officially end Daylight Savings Time (DST) and return to Standard Time. Enjoy it while it lasts, because come Sunday, March 9th, 2025, we’ll jump an hour forward again to reclaim the evening daylight.
If you’re like me, though, you don’t give this as much thought as you used to. Between smartphones, tablets, and smart-home gadgets, most of our devices update automatically. Gone are the days of running through the house on Saturday night, spinning the clock back on the microwave, oven, and wall clocks (though there’s always that one clock you’ll forget until mid-Monday). But whether you notice it or not, this little time shift has a bigger impact on our lives than most folks realize.
Why Do We Have Daylight Savings Time Anyway?
Daylight Savings Time wasn’t just some arbitrary idea. It has its roots in the early 20th century, and the first large-scale use happened during World War I. The concept was to “save” daylight and make better use of the available sunlight to conserve energy—less need for artificial lighting in the evening, the thinking went. The U.S. adopted DST again during World War II for similar reasons, and it became a national standard by the 1960s.
Benjamin Franklin gets a lot of credit (or blame) for the idea, thanks to a tongue-in-cheek essay he wrote suggesting Parisians could save on candles by waking up earlier. But modern DST really came from the idea of maximizing productivity and saving resources. It was all about squeezing the most efficiency out of every day—something Americans tend to love. And for a time, it did seem to work: studies back then suggested DST cut energy consumption by about 1%.
The Downsides: Fatigue, Accidents, and Workplace Chaos
The problem is, while saving energy sounded like a smart idea, the way DST disrupts our lives isn’t as harmless as it seems. Modern research shows that these time changes come with serious side effects—especially during that spring-forward jump in March. Adjusting our sleep schedules by just one hour can mess with our bodies’ natural rhythms, making us groggy, irritable, and more prone to mistakes.
Here’s what the numbers tell us:
- Traffic accidents spike the Monday after clocks spring forward in March. Studies show an increase of up to 6% in fatal crashes.
- ER visits jump by 10% immediately following the time change, thanks to heart attacks and other stress-related health emergencies.
- Workplace productivity also takes a hit. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology found an increase in “cyberloafing”—people wasting time on the internet at work—on the Monday after the spring DST change.
It turns out that our bodies don’t handle even minor sleep disruptions very well. Losing just one hour can trigger a ripple effect of drowsiness and stress, which, for some people, can last for days. Meanwhile, the fall-back shift in November isn’t quite as bad, but it’s not all sunshine either—early sunsets can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) for some folks, as the lack of evening daylight weighs on our mood.
A Growing Movement to Ditch Daylight Savings Time
Given the drawbacks, it’s no surprise that there’s a growing movement to eliminate the time change altogether. Here in Colorado, there’s been plenty of talk about doing away with the twice-a-year time shift, joining states like Arizona and Hawaii, which already keep their clocks the same year-round. The Colorado General Assembly has introduced bills several times in recent years to either stay on Standard Time or adopt permanent Daylight Savings Time, but these efforts have yet to pass.
At the national level, there’s also been action. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022, which would make DST permanent nationwide. But the bill stalled in the House, leaving us to wrestle with our biannual time shifts for the foreseeable future.
The arguments for and against permanent DST are pretty interesting:
- Pro-DST camp: They argue it gives us more evening daylight, which encourages outdoor activities, reduces crime, and boosts retail and tourism businesses.
- Anti-DST camp: They say the energy savings aren’t significant enough to justify the negative health effects and disruptions to sleep. Plus, many folks hate waking up in the dark during winter mornings, which would become more common if DST were permanent.
It’s a debate between prioritizing evening daylight or sticking with our natural body rhythms. For some, it’s a matter of practicality, while others see it as a health and productivity issue. Either way, it’s clear that people feel pretty strongly about this topic—whether they love or loathe the time changes.
What Do You Think?
Ultimately, whether you’re a fan of the fall-back tradition or ready to say goodbye to the hassle altogether, the time change seems to come down to personal preference. For now, we’re still “falling back” and “springing forward,” but the winds of change are blowing. If the right legislation passes, this might be one of the last years we reset our clocks.
What do you think? Are you in favor of sticking with one time all year long, or do you enjoy the tradition of changing the clocks twice a year? Share your thoughts in the comments below—we’d love to hear how the time change affects your routine.
Now, don’t forget to set your clocks back this weekend (if you still have a few old-school ones around). And enjoy that extra hour of sleep—it’s the one time of year we all get a freebie.
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