Many factors affect the amount of sleep an individual gets: work, school, and even a common government implemented policy generally known as Daylight Saving time. As Atkinson, Ebben, Medina & Mildred (2015) observed, “Daylight saving time (DST) has been commonly used in the developed world, first trialed in the United States in 1918 as a temporary wartime measure to save energy expenditure, and formally implemented several decades later through the Uniform Time Act of 1966” (Introduction section, para. 1). Originally proposed by George Watson, Daylight Saving time was created to extend daylight hours. The policy doesn’t actually extend daylight, it merely gives the impression of a longer day during the spring and summer months. Obviously, extending daylight by advancing the clock is impossible and thus Daylight Saving time is unnatural and demanding. Atkinson et al (2015) confirm, “following the DST advance of clock-time in March, an effective loss of one hour of sleep takes place during the night and this transition might result in sleep deprivation” (Introduction section, para. 2). America should ban Daylight Saving time because the consequent sleep deprivation raises the risk of health and safety concerns, compromises productivity, and DST is not an effective strategy for conserving energy. Contrary to the notion that sleep corresponds with laziness, the consequences of sleep deficiency are undeniable. Research indicates that, “sleep is a period of heavy physiological
Many adolescents and adults alike enjoy sleeping even though they do not get that much of it. People across the world wake up wishing they had just one more hour of sleep. Whenever daylight saving time (not plural) rolls around in the spring the hour lost is always dreaded even though it is balanced by the hour that is gained. Matt Schiavenza from The Atlantic says, “...Americans lose around 40 minutes of sleep on the Sunday night after the shift” (Schiavenza). Daylight saving time or DST is considered useless by many Americans and should be abolished. Americans do not dislike DST for no apparent reason. There are various studies and statistics backing the sheer uselessness of DST as well as it’s negative and harmful effects. Daylight savings time was originally created to decrease the cost of lighting and it is argued that this is the reason it is even kept around today. Keeping daylight savings in more recent years has caused more problems than it has fixed. Daylight savings causes many complications such as increased numbers of stroke and heart attack the week after and decreased productivity at work.
Despite the fact that deprivation of sleep has negative impacts, individuals still continue to deprive themselves of sleep. Many claim that they can just make it up tomorrow night and sleep the extra two hours they did not get. However, this is only adding more and more to a sleep debt. This debt will continue to grow and grow until it is paid off. William Dement and Christopher Vaughan strongly advocate that people should know the warnings, importance, and consequences that come with sleep deprivation, and therefore, lead to sleep
According to a New York times article written by Anahad O’Connor (Source E). Our body runs in a circadian rhythm which uses daylight to determine the time of day and how we are feeling. Every time daylight savings comes around this rhythm is thrown off. While these facts are still being studied and are still up for debate it is important to take these threatening hazards into consideration. O’Connor says, “Other studies have suggested links between time change and increases in heart attacks, suicides, and accidents, though scientists say more study is needed.” These studies can be shown as a very important reason on why DST is more than just a time difference. It is affecting our well being and this is proving that DST is having a negative effect. In an experiment conducted by Matthew Kotchen and Laura Grant (Source F) they provided statistics on energy consumption in the spring and fall. Energy consumption is not constant throughout DST which proves that it can not be used as a way to save
Sleep is an extremely interesting phenomenon in which the mind almost completely departs from the usual realm of consciousness. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness and a decreased ability to react to stimuli where we become less aware of our surroundings. However, it is more easily reversed than being in hibernation or a coma. It is a function that has been extensively researched by many. After all, we would not have evolved a mechanism that forces us to spend one-third of our lives sleeping unless sleep did us some good. What good does it do tough? Over the years, many theories have been proposed as to why we need sleep. The simplest is that it saves energy. An individual’s energy expenditure and demand is reduced during the day,
Daylight Saving time is the system that people clocks are turned forward an hour in spring and backward in fall, which effectively move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. We can obtain an additional hour of daylight in the evening while we lose it in the morning. In most of the developed countries in the world, Daylight saving time (DST) is thought to be encouraged as a method for energy conservation because of high energy prices and advancement of energy conservation. However, there may be no evidence of energy saving and we may find some evidence of modest increase in usage of energy and demand. In addition, DST might cause negative impact on hour health due to lack of sleep and burden of shifting rhythm. It might be true that DST has some advantages. Nevertheless, if DST has more negative effects than positive, it should be stopped immediately or we should adjust our use of DST so that it is better and least harmful.
Though its benefits are unclear, O’Connor uses a study to prove the sleep disruptions that those who partake in DST experience. “People’s peak activity levels were more intune with their body clocks than with the actual clock,” resulting in “restlessness, sleep disruption, and shorter sleep duration.” Additionally, O’Connor’s article declares that whether the system saves energy as it is promoted to do is “still a matter of debate.” This supports that Daylight Savings Time has vague benefits and distinct downsides, which leads to the conclusion that DST should no longer be implemented in our
As daylight saving time begins this spring, many of you will probably lose an hour of sleep as your body adjusts to the new time. Thankfully, you don’t have to look tired when you show up to work or to your appointment with a facelift surgery.
In “5 Weird Effects of Daylight Saving Time” Laura Poppick explains the origins of daylight saving and lists a few strange phenomenons that come with the adjusting of times. One example of the phenomenons the author lists is the increase of cyberloafing due to less motivation and focus and in result “can cost companies thousands of salary wages flushed down the Internet tube” (Poppick, “Weird Effects”). A second example is a shift in the amount of car accidents due to visibility in the morning and the amount of sleep the drivers are given that could either impair or improve their driving. Another example given is there’s a 5% increased chance of an heart attack due to stress hormones causing inflammation in people already at risk of heart
The argument of daylight savings time has been going on for decades. Some sides say that daylight savings benefits Americans, and even other people around the world, but then there are people who refute that argument. The people on the other side of that argument say that daylight savings is actually a bad thing to society, and the system should be disbanded. Countries should continue to embrace the idea of daylight savings time with open arms, as it provides many benefits to the world. This idea is shown in sources A, C and D when they talk about how daylight savings time conserves energy, helps health problems and even limits car accidents.
It has been scientifically proven that sleep is a crucial biological task that our body performs to maintain optimal functional capacity(Xu, Q. 2010). According to data collected by National sleep foundation short sleep deprivation is linked with many side effects, such as, increased risk of
On November 6, 2016, our clocks will fall back one hour. I feel this is an unnecessary practice for modern times. I dread this time of year when darkness occurs so early. As a woman, I feel the need to be more cautious if I need to do any shopping when it is dark. I almost never shop after dark in the summer time, however, in the winter it is sometimes unavoidable. I had been out and about last Friday and on my drive home I looked at the clock and noticed it was nearly dark at 7:07pm. It then occurred to me that very soon it would be that dark at 6:07pm and I just wondered to myself why our country still practices Daylight Saving Time.
Intricate human bodies are much like carefully crafted machines. Each function has a purpose, and each need has a particular function. And, much like a machine, bodies can replenish their power, repair themselves, and fail and break down. One particular necessity for human bodies is sleep, and if not acquired, many complications can emerge. Sleep deprivation is a common problem all too often overlooked as a mere loss of a night’s rest. Most people do not realize the potential problems sleep deprivation can cause. From undesired grouchiness and uninhibited yawns to constant illness and a failing mental state, sleep deprivation is a condition to never be taken lightly. In fact, it can cause an
Constantly going without the recommended amount of sleep can lead to "sleep problems that are associated with poorer quality of life, as well as mental and physical health issues". This shows that, sleep is an important part of life and can
Sleep is one of our basic needs to survive, however in the modern days sleep deprivation in increasing more and more each day, causing accidents and medical problems for the people and the community. This essay will look at the meaning of sleep and sleep deprivation and the basic perspectives on what motivates sleep and sleep deprivation with the five perspectives; evolutionary, psychodynamic, behaviourist, cognitive and the hierarchy of needs. This essay will also evaluate the best perspective to eliminate sleep deprivation with the cases studies discussing the general hypothesis of sleep and sleep deprivation.
The focus of this paper is sleep deprivation. Concepts necessary to understanding sleep and sleep deprivation are the difference between sleep deprivation and sleep deficiency, sleep-control mechanisms, stages of sleep, the different types of sleep deprivation, and required amount