It is lighter later thanks to Daylight Saving Time.
Photo Submitted by Sa'Vanna D. Smith.
Sunday morning we set our clocks back one hour while our smart devices made the change on their own. This may be the last time Floridians are forced to do this.
The phrase “spring forward, fall backward” has been a simple reminder of how daylight saving time works for several generations.
In the spring, time is moved forward an hour and then back one hour in the fall.
The “loss” of an hour in the day takes place the second Sunday in March and the hour is regained when daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday in September.
Last year then Gov. Rick Scott signed into law a bill passed by lawmakers that would make daylight saving time permanent year-round.
In order for the law to go into effect, it must first be approved by Congress – which has yet to act on it.
Michenell Louis Charles, a fifth year mechanical engineering major at Florida A&M, believes that “Congress is waiting for more states to hop on board because being on a different time than the states in your time zone will most likely mess things up logistically.”
Stephanie Lambert, the communications director for the office of U.S. Representative Al Lawson, said, “I did want to let you know the congressman is against ending daylight saving time. The bill was only recently refiled in the 116th Congress (January 3), so the process may take a while. There are several factors that will need to be discussed. For Congressman Lawson, one of his concerns is the safety of school children, specifically those who take school buses early in the mornings. They will essentially have to walk to their bus stops in darkness.”
According to PubMed.gov, there was a significant increase in accidents for the Monday immediately following the spring shift to daylight saving time. As well as an increase in the number of accidents on the Sunday of the fall shift.
Drivers are not properly resting or adapting to the loss or gain of an hour, which in turn results in less attention paid to the road. The time change disrupts what is called circadian patterns and or rhythm.
Circadian rhythm is an internal clock in your brain that alternates between alertness and drowsiness. The rhythm, also known as your sleep/wake cycle, is controlled by a portion of the hypothalamus and can be affected by factors such as light and dark.
When it is light outside your hypothalamus tends to signal your eyes that it is time to feel tired and the same applies to it being light outside and you feeling awake.