Daylight Saving Time Has a Devastating Consequence That No One Is Talking About

"Every fall, Americans are plunged into darkness an hour earlier when the clocks turn back at the end of daylight saving time. Many see the beginning of standard time as a mild annoyance. Sun lovers view it as the unfortunate start to a season of afternoon sunsets. Parents, as I can now attest, experience it as sleep-wrecking proof that the human construct of time is no match for the anarchy of toddlerdom."

"In fairness, it does not appear that anyone responsible for our current clock-management regime intended to create this insidious side effect. The unfortunate situation arose after Congress extended DST in 2005, adding three weeks in the spring and one week in the fall. There is credible evidence that lawmakers added that bonus week in autumn at the behest of candy companies, which believed that children would consume more treats on Halloween if the sun stayed out an hour later."

Every fall Americans are plunged into darkness an hour earlier when clocks turn back at the end of daylight saving time. Many view the start of standard time as a mild annoyance and sun lovers see it as the start of earlier afternoon sunsets. Parents experience it as sleep-wrecking proof that human time constructs cannot contain toddler schedules. Congress extended DST in 2005, adding weeks partly influenced by candy-company lobbying to keep Halloween daylight. That change unintentionally scheduled most November elections two days after the clock change, thrusting voters into earlier darkness and confusing circadian rhythms, which can depress turnout and affect election outcomes.

Read at Slate Magazine