The Pros And Cons Of Daylight Saving Time

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Present Issue Daylight Saving Time is the act of setting clocks either an hour forward or backwards in the month of March and November. This biannual event was created to save energy. However, recently it has been question if Daylight Saving Time is still saving the United States energy. In fact, some claim that it is actually causing more energy to be used (Energy company petitions to eliminate daylight saving time, 2016). More argue that the time change causes sleep deprivation which leads to more traffic accidents the day following the hour jump (Sharpe, 2009). Such ideas have been causing people to question why Daylight Saving Time is still being practiced. Based on recent research, it would seem that despite once being an effective tool for saving energy in our country, Daylight Saving Time no longer benefits the American people.
Background Information Daylight Saving Time began in Europe during the 1800s. The United States began using Daylight Saving Time during the first World War to aid in energy conservation. However, it was not until World War II that it was used more consistently. Over time, some Americans were using Daylight Saving Time while other were not. This created a lot of confusion. To help solve the problem, in 1966, The Uniform Time Act was put in place by Congress (Daylight saving, n.d.).
The Energy Issue
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It is suggested that smartphones, bad bedroom environment, and light pollution are just a few things that pose a bigger threat to sleep deprivation than Daylight Saving Time (Sifferlin, 2015). Others say that in when in hour is gained in the Fall months that you gain an hour of sleep which is beneficial for your health. However, it was found that an average of only 12 extra minutes of sleep was gained during the Fall (Smith, 2014). Most arguments in favor of Daylight Saving Time appear weak, simply wanting to keep things the

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