Time To Fall Back

Those looking for an extra hour of sleep will be excited to know that the time changes this weekend, falling back one hour. Sunday, November 2, 2014 at 2 am the daylight savings time ends. This change will result in fewer daylight hours and it is a change that some abhor. For people that suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, the switch from daylight savings time can mean the worsening of symptoms. The disorder is related to moving from the long, warm days of spring and summer to the shorter, colder days of fall and winter. Sunlight is a factor for those with Seasonal Affective Disorder, which the Mayo Clinic describes as a form of depression related to seasonal changes. In the fall and winter, the daylight hours are shorter and the loss of daylight savings time means that darkness reins before many people get home from work.

While daylight savings time has its’ detractors, some parent organizations have lobbied to keep it in place. They contend that it is difficult to rouse their children and prepare them for school when it is still dark outside and that children need the daylight hours earlier in the day, rather than in the late afternoon. Studies have also found that daylight savings time is related to the number of automobile accidents that occur. During daylight savings time, when the days are longer, accidents occur more frequently in the morning when it is still dark. When daylight savings time ends, the frequency shifts to the late afternoon when darkness descends early.

Whether a proponent or an opponent of daylight savings time, one thing is for certain. On Sunday morning, November 2, 2014 at 2 am, time will change-except, of course, in Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa who do not observe daylight savings time.