It’s that time of year when our phone magically changes the time, and suddenly it’s dark by 5 pm. Cue the annual debate: are we actually saving daylight, or are we just ruining our sleep schedules for no reason?
Right now, Daylight Saving Time feels less like a well-thought-out system and more like a twice-a-year inconvenience. One week we’re sitting and watching the sunset, and the next we’re eating dinner in total darkness. It’s disorienting, tiring, and kind of unnecessary.
Don’t get me wrong, the extra hour of sleep in the fall is nice. But the trade-off is weeks of yawning through early evenings and wondering why our energy suddenly disappears before dinner. In the spring, it’s even worse; we lose an hour of sleep and spend the next week pretending enough coffee can make up for it.
It’s tempting to say there must be some benefit: more daylight for early morning walks or weekend errands, and maybe even a mood boost. But the reality is that the disruption outweighs the perks. We’re left staggering through mornings and evenings on a clock that is determined to confuse us, all for a tradition that doesn’t match our modern lives.
Daylight Saving supporters argue that changing the clocks helps us use daylight more effectively, but that logic is outdated in a world where work, school, and life don’t always follow a nine-to-five schedule. Instead of saving daylight, we often just lose our sense of balance.
Maybe it’s finally time to stop moving the clocks around and start adjusting how we live around light. That could mean flexible schedules, morning walks, or just accepting that the sun sets when it sets. Sadly, until then, we’ll keep falling back, springing forward, and wondering if any of this is worth the disorientation.