Into the Light: As End of Daylight Saving Time Nears, 59 Percent Of Americans Oppose Changing Their Clocks

With the end of Daylight Saving Time coming on November 3, many Americans are already feeling anxious about the upcoming time change, according to a new study.The study conducted by Talker Research found that 40 percent of Americans feel a sense of dread as they prepare to set their clocks back an hour. In addition to the psychological impact, the survey uncovered a general discontent with the biannual clock changes. A majority of participants, 59 percent, expressed a desire to cease altogether the practice of switching between Daylight Saving and Standard Time. The sentiment is particularly strong among older generations, with 69 percent of Baby Boomers advocating for a permanent time setting, compared to only half of Millennials.The benefit of gaining an extra hour of sleep and while losing evening daylight is not considered worthwhile by a significant portion of respondents, with only 35 percent finding it beneficial. A majority (77 percent) feel more energized when the sun is shining, yet 70 percent report starting and ending their days in darkness after the clocks are set back.The impact of DST on productivity is also notable. Nearly half of working Americans (48 percent) miss daylight during their work hours, and more than half (54 percent) experience what they call the “sunlight blues” after the time change. The lack of sunlight contributes to 43 percent of employed respondents identifying the post-DST week as their least productive, with 31 percent admitting to making more mistakes.Across the pond, there are growing calls to abolish the UK’s twice-yearly clock changes. The British Sleep Society, a professional body representing the sleep research community, argues that maintaining Greenwich Mean Time year-round would benefit health by aligning more closely with natural light cycles.“Restoring permanent Standard Time (GMT) would mean our clocks would be closely aligned to solar time, and while it would mean earlier sunsets in the summer, there would be additional benefits to health from improved sleep and circadian alignment due to increased exposure to morning sunlight from autumn to spring,” said professor Malcolm von Schantz from Northumbria University, according to My London.

Into the Light: As End of Daylight Saving Time Nears, 59 Percent Of Americans Oppose Changing Their Clocks

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