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That would be both….Spring Ahead AND Fall Back. So what prompted us, humans, to play around with one hour? And does it really matter one way or the other?
We’re going to do some time travel to see if we can make things clear with the zany and fascinating history of time.
Way back - when the concept of time was conceived - it was measured with a simple yet ingenious device called the Sundial which measured time through the position of the sun. This was known as Apparent Solar Time or true local time. With its use in various cities, it created a chaotic system as each city would have varying solar time at any given moment. Imagine constantly adjusting your watch as you travelled from one city to the next and never mind trying to set up meetings!
Enter Standard Time.
Standard Time, first referred to as London Time, was created in Britain around the mid-1700s to have a more uniform time in one country. Thanks to the railways that could not work with inconsistent local times, the London Time became a standard in Britain. In 1847, London Time became known as GMT (Greenwich Mean Time).
In 1883, railways in Canada and the U.S.A. also introduced the standard time system, though it was not easily accepted by the populace. After recognizing the practicality of having a standard time, the International Prime Meridian Conference was held in Washington in 1884 to set the international standard time, which divided the globe into time zones and today remains the norm.
Daylight Saving Time was the brainchild of Benjamin Franklin. While serving as American Delegate in Paris, he proposed the extended use of natural light rather than turning on artificial light early. This idea presented itself one day when he woke up at six o’clock in the morning and found his room already bright from sunlight. During this oil lamp period, he pointed out that the amount of oil used in relation to the light produced was wasteful and made an argument about the thriftiness of making the most of daylight. The proposal was not well-accepted.
Benjamin Franklin’s idea was picked up by his friend, William Willett in London. Adjusting the time one hour ahead in April became known as Summer Time. With the concern of having less daylight in the Fall, it was decided that time would be changed back in October.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of DST:
There are arguments both for and against changing time in the Spring. Advocates point out that extended natural daylight makes it safer for us both in the morning and evening. Studies have confirmed that there are less robberies after the time change. The extra hour is good for the economy as shopping malls and restaurants extend their hours of operation. And people tend to be more active with the longer days.
On the other side of the coin, this one-hour disruption of sleep pattern taxes our bodies. Some studies have revealed an increase in heart attacks immediately after moving time one hour ahead (you can find lots of this spending your extra daytime hour online). It also decreases productivity and increases accidents. In today’s electronic age, daylight saving no longer serves its original energy conservation purpose and implementing it in the world of computers is costly.
So does it really matter if DST remains or not?
Countries in the equatorial and tropical zones do not participate in daylight saving. There is no need, their daylight hours remain almost the same throughout the year. In Canada, our province of Saskatchewan does not change its time in the spring as it is already one hour ahead of its time zone. Geographically, it belongs to Mountain Time Zone but it follows the Central Standard Time all year. In essence, it is on daylight saving time year-round. The exception is the city of Lloydminster, which is part of Saskatchewan and part of Albertan. It follows DST practices. How complicated!
For the participants, the conundrum has existed since its implementation. Some countries have gone back and forth - including to excluding to including DST. If you read the history of time here to see the complexities that this one hour involves, it might give you an idea, OR not, of its significance.
In the meantime, since it is here to stay, we might as well learn how to cope with the shift. Here are some suggestions:
Make sure to catch up on your sleep
Go to bed and get up at your usual time after the time change
Avoid napping close to your bedtime
No caffeine, alcohol and nicotine at least 6 hours before bedtime
Ensure to darken your room when you sleep
Get sunlight soon after waking up – going for a walk will help
And…remember to set your clocks 1 hour ahead this Sunday, March 10th!
