While most people appreciate having daylight longer into the evening when the clocks switch to Daylight Saving in March, the debate over whether to never move the blocks back again in the fall is drawing a lot of attention.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill to make Daylight Saving time permanent. The bill now needs to go to the U.S. House of Representatives and be signed into law by President Joe Biden — none of which is certain.
If the bill is passed into law, this November would be the last time we “fall back” and change the clocks back to Standard Time in November. The law would go into effect in November 2023.
How would this affect Alexandria?
In permanent Daylight Saving time, the sun would rise between 6:40 a.m. and 8:25 a.m. That means in the darkest days of winter, most students and a lot of workers would be getting up, commuting and starting their day in the dark.
In the evenings under permanent Daylight Saving time, the sun would set between 5:47 p.m. and 8:39 p.m., giving children more afternoon hours to play outside and giving office workers a slightly better-lit commute.
Switching to permanent Standard time was not voted on by the Senate, but if Standard time were to last all year, the sun would rise between 5:40 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. and the sun would set between 4:47 p.m. and 7:39 p.m.
Who cares?
Those who are concerned about making Daylight Saving time permanent include sleep experts, who are arguing that we should switch to permanent Standard time instead of permanent Daylight Saving time.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine released a position paper on this last year. The Washington Post reported, “Its reasoning, in part, is that standard time is more closely associated with humans’ intrinsic circadian rhythm, and that disrupting that rhythm, as happens with daylight saving time, has been associated with increased risks of obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and depression.”
The benefits of making Daylight Saving time permanent include a reduction in depression during the winter months, decreased obesity and less crime.
So, which team are you on? Vote and comment here.
