Daylight Savings Time Considered Harmful

The United States, like many other countries, has a daylight savings time change during the year to adjust the clock for sunrise and sunset. DST is a law in many countries, including many EU nations, though it happens at different days around the world. Within the United States, it's not even consistent, as Hawaii does not observe it. Indiana was a holdout, though in 2006 they passed legislation enforcing it. The US originally enacted DST since it changed when people were awake, impacting the national energy needs. In 2005, the United States even extended the DST duration by four weeks with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (full text).

Stats about DST

Here's the alarming fact: when the clock moves forward one hour in Spring, the average US worker loses 40 minutes of sleep. Less sleep from the time change results in an 5.7% increase in workplace injuries the next day! U.S. Highway administration reports a 17% increase in accidents the next day as well - so drive defensively on DST day.

Hours of Sleep Needed

Make sure you get some sleep on DST days; statistically speaking you might end up hurting yourself if you don't! 7-8 hours is the typical amount people report needing, though there is a broad range. Some adults get by with five (wow!). There is no "normal" hours of sleep, as people are different, especially at different ages, and thus it's very much an individual need. Teenagers are notorious for biologically needing more sleep than adults - about 9.25 hours, studies show.

Caffeine

Many adults and teenagers use caffeine to increase alertness and create the feeling of being awake. Caffeine blocks the neurotransmitter GABA, which induces the sleepy feeling, from impacting the brain. Be careful - caffeine can impact your sleep patterns negatively if not moderated.

Source

Everyday I get an interesting statistic via the Harvard Business School "The Daily Stat." The statistics regarding the impact of DST on the United States came today.