It’s that time of the year again. Daylight Savings Time has casually come to an end.
Daylight Savings Time in the U.S. begins on the second Sunday in March when clocks are set forward one hour. The clocks are then turned back to standard time on the first Sunday in November.
For years, many Americans have debated the pros and cons that come with daylight savings. Although, there may be some good that comes with it, millions of Americans would like to abandon the time changes we experience twice each year.
Americans have complained about the confusion and tiredness that DST brings. Potential health and safety problems are also a concern. Some have problems with concentration at work or school.
While some are excited about the extra hour of sleep they were given this past Sunday, others say their bodies are not adjusting to how early it gets dark. This has caused many to go to bed earlier and wake up in the middle of the night.
Hailey Smith, a third-year pre-nursing student at Florida A&M, says she feels thrown off mentally because it gets dark during her class time and her body is telling her to go to sleep while she is in class.
“For my 5:30-6:45 class I definitely have to be more cautious with where I park because it’s dark when I get out of class now,” Smith said. “It’s also cooler since the sun is down so I have to dress warmer for that class.
“But I have been able to continue to maintain and make the best out of it,” she added.
Dynasty Moore, a third-year political science student, says the time change has not affected her academic studies.
“Although it feels weird to me that it is very bright at 6 a.m., I love it, I feel like I’m actually getting rest,” she said.
“Now the only downside that I have is that I’m extremely tired pretty early on in the day, and I wake up with so much energy.”
William Hudson Jr., the vice president of Student Affairs, says he makes minor adjustments.
“My routine doesn’t change because I’m typically the first one here and the last one to leave. Being that I’m the VP and I teach class Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Hudson said. “With my body adjusting, I’m getting up a little earlier, so I try to get in my exercise and calisthenics early in the morning as opposed to waiting till night to do it.
“So far since it has just begun, we are still functioning as usual. We still have our meetings. We meet after hours and even on weekends,” he added. “When you’re a part of administration you work until the job is done, your job is 24 hours a day There are emergencies that happen throughout the night or early in the morning and we have to be prepared.”
Federal lawmakers are recommending that Daylight Savings Time be made the permanent time. The Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 would set the hour of “saving” sunlight as the standard time.
If done, the act would get rid of time falling back in the fall.