Daylight savings time (DST) has been a controversial topic since it was introduced by President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. It was originally implemented to save fuel during the war, but it ended up remaining present in Americans’ lives ever since.
There is no correct answer to if the United States should abolish DST, but most of the evidence points in favor of abolishment.
On March 9, 2025, DST began and in turn, disrupted our biological clocks. Our biological clocks, or our Circadian Rhythm, is determined by our exposure to sunlight and the daylight cycle. When DST begins, our Circadian Rhythms are disrupted, causing negative impacts on sleep schedules and productivity.
Disruption in sleep schedules can amplify many different health issues that many Americans face. Two of those being anxiety and depression. These mental illnesses make people less productive, more vacant and less motivated overall.
DST also disrupts daily routines and schedules. Many people enjoy having set routines everyday that they accomplish. This is a way to hold oneself accountable and ensure that they do everything they need to during the day.
The change in time messes up daily routines and causes a large inconvenience in people’s lives. Especially on the day after the time change, people are less likely to accomplish their daily tasks due to the sudden change in time.
The Sleep Foundation has done many studies on why America should abolish “Spring Forward” and “Fall Back.” In addition to that, many of their staff writers discuss statistics and government views on this issue.
Eric Suni, a staff writer, wrote an article titled “Say We Abolished Daylight Saving Time. Here’s How It Would Change Sleep.”
In the article he comments: “Recent surveys have found that 60 percent of Americans support abolishing twice-annual clock changes. In fact, more than 30 states have introduced bills to replace daylight saving time with one stable time, with more than 15 passing legislation stating they’d change if allowed to by federal law.”
Many argue that DST is important because it helps Americans reduce their energy consumption which in turn preserves energy. That would be a really strong argument if it were true, but it is not.
DST does reduce the amount of energy that is used by the average American; however, it is not a sufficient amount to justify keeping DST in the American calendar.
According to saveonenergy.com, “Energy consumption is more evolved than when the concept was first introduced. The average household has multiple devices running around the clock regardless of daylight, decreasing the impact of one extra hour.”
Furthermore, the Energy Information Administration declared that only five percent of residential energy consumption is caused by daylight, making DST even less important.
Turning your clocks back and forth twice a year is an unnecessary hassle. It is an inconvenience to many, creates negative health effects and saves us little energy. DST should be abolished as soon as possible.
