On the first Sunday in November, clocks move back an hour from standard time, providing an extra hour of sleep and rest, but every year Americans wonder if Daylight Saving Time is worth it. penalty.
Suffolk University students said the tradition doesn’t just impact the clock hands: Daylight Saving Time affects their motivation and daily routines.
One of the many topics debated about DST is its effect on students and their academic performance. Sophomores Beatriz Rodrigues De Sa and Naiomi Arguelles said DST had mixed impacts on their productivity.
“Gaining an extra hour of sleep gives me a boost and improves my focus every fall and winter. However, the early darkness poses challenges for my motivation. If I have a class in the afternoon, but it’s already dark, I’ll be more inclined not to go,” Rodrigues De Sa said.
Arguelles added that being indoors because of the darkness can have its benefits, but it limits it.
“While this requires me to stay indoors more and focus on my studies, it makes it harder to make outside plans and makes me want to sleep,” Arguelles said.
Even though outdoor activities are prohibited in Arguelles in winter, she said she uses the longer period of darkness as a companion for study nights.
“I think it has a positive influence in the sense that I’m more than likely inside earlier and more focused at work,” Arguelles said.
However, with the sun setting earlier, many problems arise for the students. From physical and mental health effects to safety, the end of daylight saving time poses threats that junior Yasmin Kabbara doesn’t like to face.
“I have a chronic illness, so having a structured schedule is important for my health and productivity. I notice that the darker and colder the late afternoon, the more I tend to go home earlier and start to relax,” Kabbara said.
Arguelles is a member of Suffolk’s Pasión Latina dance team and said the end of daylight saving time makes it less safe for commuters to return home after her dance team’s practice on campus.
The return to standard time also affects one of students’ favorite activities: sleeping. Sleep habits can take time to adjust when the clocks go back, even if we gain an hour of sleep.
“It affects my sleep 100%. I am a sensitive sleeper; The time I go to bed and the time I wake up are integral to the quality of my day. My body and mind associate darkness with rest, which is why I go to bed early,” Kabbara said.
Arguelles compared the effects of the end of daylight saving time on his sleep with people’s moods.
“I feel like DST impacts my energy and makes daily life a little more depressing. Not being able to enjoy the day any longer seems to not only affect me, but also the people around me,” she said.
Rodrigues De Sa said the end of daylight saving time “feels like a little gift.”
“It’s a welcome change to catch up on some much-needed rest, especially mid-season,” she said.
Daylight saving time, used to save energy and maximize the use of daylight, dates back to 1916, but a few students think it could use some improvement.
“Clock settings can be very disruptive. Perhaps a more gradual transition or less frequent change could maintain the benefits of extended daylight without an abrupt impact on sleep patterns,” Rodrigues De Sa said.
Some students, like Arguelles, said they think daylight saving time is a hot topic in society. She said that although she knows little about it, it needs to be discussed more.
“I really think this should be a topic of discussion given the studies on how it affects mental health,” Arguelles said.
Others, however, believe that this should not be a priority.
“In the grand scheme of world problems, daylight saving time seems minor. While this impacts daily life, more pressing issues like wars and major societal challenges rightly demand our attention,” said Rodrigues De Sa.
