US Daylight Saving Time Ends, but a Stanford Study Suggests It Should Stay Gone for Good.
The time change that's been a staple of American life for over a century is finally coming to an end on Sunday, bringing with it the promise of an extra hour of sleep. However, the practice of daylight saving time (DST) has become increasingly contentious in recent years, with some arguing that its benefits are no longer outweighing its costs.
The latest research suggests that the biannual shift could be doing more harm than good for our health and wellbeing. A Stanford study published in September found that the practice creates a biological burden on our bodies, leading to poorer health outcomes such as obesity, diabetes, and strokes. The study also estimated that eliminating DST could prevent over 2.6 million cases of obesity and mitigate 200,000 to 300,000 cases of strokes.
One student at UC Berkeley, Onyinye Boardman, is among those who believe that the practice should be scrapped altogether. "I don't really see the point," she said. "Why do we even bother?" She pointed out that all her clocks shift automatically, and that she doesn't see why one time zone should have to conform to another.
Others, like Thomas Tang, a 21-year-old economics student at Cal, are more pragmatic about the issue. "It's not a big deal," he said. "I'll just take the extra hour of sleep." But Catherine, a Berkeley resident with two young children, is less convinced. She knows that the transition can be difficult for her kids, who struggle to adjust to the changing light levels.
As the US moves away from DST, it's clear that there are mixed views on its merits. While some see it as a necessary evil to boost productivity and energy efficiency, others believe that the costs outweigh the benefits. One thing is certain, however: with or without DST, our lives will continue to be regulated by the rhythms of the sun.
Meanwhile, 300 million people across the US will have to adapt once again in March when clocks "spring forward" one hour and re-enter daylight saving time. It's a familiar ritual that few are enthusiastic about. Eugene You, a Cal freshmen from Asia, had no idea he'd ever have to adjust his clock for DST. "I'm from a country where we don't do this," he said with a smile.
The debate over DST is far from over, but one thing is clear: the US needs to rethink its approach to timekeeping. As Onyinye Boardman so succinctly put it, "One size most definitely does not fit all."
The time change that's been a staple of American life for over a century is finally coming to an end on Sunday, bringing with it the promise of an extra hour of sleep. However, the practice of daylight saving time (DST) has become increasingly contentious in recent years, with some arguing that its benefits are no longer outweighing its costs.
The latest research suggests that the biannual shift could be doing more harm than good for our health and wellbeing. A Stanford study published in September found that the practice creates a biological burden on our bodies, leading to poorer health outcomes such as obesity, diabetes, and strokes. The study also estimated that eliminating DST could prevent over 2.6 million cases of obesity and mitigate 200,000 to 300,000 cases of strokes.
One student at UC Berkeley, Onyinye Boardman, is among those who believe that the practice should be scrapped altogether. "I don't really see the point," she said. "Why do we even bother?" She pointed out that all her clocks shift automatically, and that she doesn't see why one time zone should have to conform to another.
Others, like Thomas Tang, a 21-year-old economics student at Cal, are more pragmatic about the issue. "It's not a big deal," he said. "I'll just take the extra hour of sleep." But Catherine, a Berkeley resident with two young children, is less convinced. She knows that the transition can be difficult for her kids, who struggle to adjust to the changing light levels.
As the US moves away from DST, it's clear that there are mixed views on its merits. While some see it as a necessary evil to boost productivity and energy efficiency, others believe that the costs outweigh the benefits. One thing is certain, however: with or without DST, our lives will continue to be regulated by the rhythms of the sun.
Meanwhile, 300 million people across the US will have to adapt once again in March when clocks "spring forward" one hour and re-enter daylight saving time. It's a familiar ritual that few are enthusiastic about. Eugene You, a Cal freshmen from Asia, had no idea he'd ever have to adjust his clock for DST. "I'm from a country where we don't do this," he said with a smile.
The debate over DST is far from over, but one thing is clear: the US needs to rethink its approach to timekeeping. As Onyinye Boardman so succinctly put it, "One size most definitely does not fit all."
. And now the kids gotta deal with changin' light levels all over again... Can't we just stick to one time zone like they do in some other countries? It's not that hard, you know? 
I mean, on one hand, an extra hour of sleep sounds like a dream come true 
. Like, 2.6 million cases of obesity and strokes? That's some crazy numbers 
.
I feel like it's just so... unnecessary 
. Onyinye made a good point that one time zone shouldn't have to conform to another 
. It's like, can't we just stick with one schedule and be done with it? 
. And hey, Eugene from Cal is just like "I don't even know about this" 
, which makes me laugh. Maybe we can just agree to disagree on this one? 
. It's like, if we're already having trouble with sleep and health, do we really need to mess with our natural rhythms even more? And I get why some people think it's not worth it anymore, especially when you consider all the disruption it causes to our lives.
. Like Eugene mentioned, he comes from a country where they don't do DST, so he doesn't have to worry about it at all. That's kinda refreshing, right? And I think Onyinye has a point when she says that one size definitely doesn't fit all 
. Maybe we should be looking for ways to make timekeeping work better for everyone, not just trying to stick with what we've always done 
.
It's like they're trying to control our very lives. And don't even get me started on the whole "boosting productivity" thing - that sounds like a total cover-up to me. I bet it's just a way to keep us conforming to their agenda. And what about all those people who genuinely struggle with the time change? Do they not deserve some extra consideration? 
But seriously, I'm not surprised that a Stanford study found DST to be more of a health hazard than a benefit. Our bodies are already struggling with the new norms, and it's no wonder our obesity rates are skyrocketing 
.
. And let's be real, who actually benefits from losing an hour of sleep? Not me, that's for sure 
. It makes you wonder if the extra energy efficiency and productivity gains were worth it 
. Maybe we can try a more flexible approach to timekeeping instead of one-size-fits-all DST? 
, but also kinda annoyed that we even had to have a debate about it in the first place 
.
.
so yeah, maybe it's time to just ditch the whole thing and stick with one time zone. i'm with onyinye on that one - why do we have to conform to another time zone just because of some arbitrary schedule? 
. personally, id say we should just experiment with different schedules and see what works best for each region 
and don't even get me started on the health implications - obesity, diabetes, strokes... no thanks! 