Daylight saving time does not make sense for Alaska

In 1895, a New Zealand entomologist —someone who studies bugs — named George Hudson proposed to the Wellington Philosophical Society that they shift their clocks backward two hours in the summer. His reasoning? Hudson realized that more bugs could be studied in the morning daylight hours. In the early 1900s, several countries began to implement their own form of daylight savings to conserve coal during World War I. 

In March 1918, daylight savings reached the United States when Congress passed the Standard Time Act, which also implemented different time zones across the country. 

The current form of daylight saving time — or DST — was implemented to benefit wartime efforts and has since become dangerous, leading to fatalities and injuries. 

Overall, DST does not benefit the general population and is unreasonable because it throws us for a loop twice a year — considering its impact on our internal clock. It especially does not make sense here in Anchorage, where we already experience limited daylight hours, and most residents work a 9-to-5 job or are full-time students.

By 1966, DST was made federal law in the United States because of the Uniform Time Act. At the time, some people were in favor but still had concerns about it disrupting their routines. 

Now, over half a century later, I think that most Americans would rather get rid of it. 

The Monday after daylight savings every November is an awful one. Everyone is more tired than usual when they come to work and school because their circadian rhythms are completely thrown off overnight. 

In fact, daylight saving time throws off our circadian rhythms so much that a study from Solv Health has indicated that fatal car crashes increase by 5.3%, heart attacks and strokes rise by six percent and workplace injuries due to human error spike on Monday following daylight saving changes. 

In a state where car accidents are more common as soon as snow hits the ground, it is not a safe combination to have DST right around the time we get our first snowfall. These anomalies indicate that this legislation is not conducive to natural human behavior. 

DST also doesn’t help farmers — contrary to the common myth believed by many Americans. In actuality, many farmers have vehemently opposed the legislation as dairy cattle rely on the sun. 

Might I add that we live on a planet that sits upon an axis that rotates around the sun — a naturally occurring function that we are working against for the benefit of outdated practices? I mean, it's not like we are utilizing coal as much as we were in World War I, nor do we need to research bugs like Hudson did, so why does it still exist? 

Especially in Alaska, where winter days are short, and Anchorage only receives five hours of sunlight each day. When the November DST comes around in Alaska, we are still regulating ourselves amid the fleeting daylight as we creep further into winter. Then, out of nowhere, we suddenly lose another hour. And now it is dark at 4:40 p.m., instead of the alternative when it could get dark at almost 6 p.m. 

If DST were revised to allow us to have sunsets later, people stuck in offices or classes for most of the day could get a chance to experience some light at the end of the day. 

In a state where seasonal affective disorder is rampant during the winter months, I am convinced that the way we currently function under DST plays a factor in this. Our Pacific counterpart, Hawaii, has never had DST, and much of Arizona returned to standard time in 1968. 

Granted, Hawaii and Arizona are both states with ample sunlight and warm weather — but it shows that revising this outdated system can be possible. 

In 2022, the Sunshine Protection Act was put into effect and made it to the Senate, with the expectation to be put into effect by the end of 2023. However, we obviously never saw this come to fruition. In 2023, several states attempted and failed to end DST because the only way DST can revert to standard time is if Congress makes it federal law.

Alaska state representatives Dan Ortiz and Jamie Allard have proposed bills to remove Alaska as a part of DST which would have allowed the state to function under standard time until Congress passes a permanent change. Ultimately, these bills failed to gain traction. 

I can admit that it is satisfying to realize that you have an extra hour to do whatever you’d like — at least for the November change — but the truth of the matter is that it really does not result in any good. 

There is increased danger for the Monday and the week following DST, and it is important to recognize the hassle of having to change the numerous analog clocks you are surrounded by — like your oven, microwave, bedtime clock, and car — which can throw everyone off and make us think we are an hour late to work or school. 

If you are an Anchorage resident, there’s a chance that you currently wake up in morning darkness, and although changing to standard time might make it darker for longer in the morning, it would allow us to have more sunlight after 5 p.m. 

It’s time we ask ourselves why the current form of DST still exists when its sole purpose in America was to benefit wartime efforts. DST doesn’t make sense, especially in Alaska, where the hours of sunlight are so limited. 

We have already researched all the bugs we need to, and we are not currently requiring coal for war and energy sources on a massive scale that was previously required of us. Presently, DST disrupts the daily life of individuals, poses safety risks and exacerbates certain mental conditions of Alaskans. 

It’s safe to say that the original reasons for DST no longer hold relevance, so it’s reasonable — and potentially necessary — to reconsider its presence and impact on American society, and Alaska in particular. Anyway, remember to change your clocks on the second Sunday of March 2025 for when clocks spring forward.