Daylight saving time is fast approaching, with the loss of an hour starting March 13 for residents of California. Make sure to set back your clocks an hour before you become late to one of your classes and be aware of the possible effects of the time change.
Students can be quite vulnerable to the effects of daylight saving time, such as sleep loss which can cause “a greater risk of mood disturbance, suicide, and being involved in traffic accidents during both bi-annual transition periods,” an article by the Sleep Foundation states.
“Adolescents and high school students are potentially more susceptible to the adverse effects of DST, given their early school hours and a natural tendency to maintain a delayed sleep schedule, which often culminates in a sleep deprived state,” a study by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine states.
Our sleep is most affected by daylight saving time and is of utmost importance to every individual’s health, with 7-9 hours of daily sleep recommended for adults.
Students interviewed on the Liberal Arts campus of Long Beach City College seemed unaffected by the shift, either neutral on the topic itself or slightly in or out of favor of the concept.
“Other than the initial change of the clocks, it doesn’t really affect me on such an obvious basis,” student Chris Scott said.
Scott did mention that he had accidentally missed a couple classes because of the initial change, but past that had no issues with the change aside from having to adjust the clocks each time.
“The biggest thing is like switching clocks, but at this point I’d just use my phone one,” Scott said.
Student Alexandro Ramirez was favorable of daylight saving time, saying “I believe that the more sun, the more time you’re able to go outside, study for whatever classes you have, and it definitely provides more of a warm environment for everyone who enjoys working and studying out in the sun.”
“Just waking up, yeah, it’s a little harder,” Judianny Argueta said.
The concept for daylight saving time was created in 1784 by Benjamin Franklin in order to better use daylight as the seasons pass.
48 of the 50 states in the country implement daylight saving time, with Hawaii and Arizona being the exceptions.
Daylight saving time for 2022 begins at 2 a.m. on March 13 for California residents, and changes back Nov. 6 at 2 a.m.