Daylight Saving Time

                Daylight Saving Time took effect on Sunday, making it time to “spring forward” once again.  I knew it was coming – as it comes every year – but did not realize it was this Sunday until late Saturday night.  I thought I was going to bed early and would get plenty of sleep to be awake for Sunday meetings; I was blindsided to realize that I was already an hour late!

                Changing to and from Daylight Saving Time affects our bodies in various ways, and some people have difficulty adjusting to the changes.  It interrupts the sleep patterns of everyone, but most people overcome the difference within a few days. 

                Dr. Julia Samton, a neuro-psychiatrist, stated,  “Our body has a natural circadian rhythm which is almost an internal clock that regulates our 24-hour cycle.  It regulates our sleep-wake cycle and that can be disturbed fairly easily.”  Dr. Samton added, “Most of our mental fog, that lack of mental clarity is from decreased sleep.”

                According to Dr. Eric Cohen, some people have more serious problems:  “There have been studies that have shown there are more workplace accidents, more driving accidents after the switch to Daylight Saving Time.  There’s even studies that show there are more heart attacks right afterward.  So there does seem to be some very real implications for this.”

                I am one of the people who quickly adjust, but I do need a day or so to make the adjustment.  I definitely felt sleep deprived on Sunday!  What bothers me more than the actual changing of time is the fact that Alaska even has Daylight Saving Time.  I believe we should take Arizona’s example and stop changing our clocks twice a year.  What difference does one more hour of daylight make in the summer when the sun stays up until 11:00 p.m.?  The only reason I can give to justify Alaskans changing time is business with Outside companies.  If Alaska stayed on regular time, the East Coast would be five hours ahead of us.  This must be the reason; otherwise, we would be idiots to continue doing it!