During World War I, armies needed every possible watt of electricity to support the war effort. At the time, household lighting made up a surprisingly large share of total energy use, and the power demanded by millions of homes limited how much factories could produce for soldiers.

To stretch resources, many nations adopted daylight saving time. The policy had its benefits, “giving people longer evenings to enjoy the sunset, and spend more time with friends and family,” said Jachai Gates, a Wilsonville senior.

But it was also designed to free up energy for industry, and the system worked well enough for wartime needs, but once the conflict ended, the policy stayed in place long after its original purpose faded.

Nowadays, electrical usage barely changes during daylight saving as the sheer amount of modern technology in each household minimizes the impact of lighting. Instead, daylight saving has become a policy that’s easier to keep than write and pass a law discontinuing it.

“Changing the clocks twice a year just messes up people’s sleep schedules and routines. It feels kinda unnecessary, especially since most people’s schedules don’t really depend on daylight anymore,” said Josiah Cruz, a Wilsonville junior.

It’s not just the inconvenience of setting your clock forward an hour that harms you, but the negative health effects that come with changing your sleeping patterns. This change in your circadian rhythm has been proven to be a factor in increased levels of depression, obesity and cancer.[1]

Not only that, but with darker mornings and sleepy drivers, car crashes increase 6%[2], disrupting sleep causes an 8% increase in stroke cases in just the first 48 hours of daylight saving, and hospitals see 11% more depressive symptoms after the time change.[1]

While daylight saving is negatively affecting society at large, it speaks to the importance of keeping a consistent and healthy sleep schedule. If these statistics are for a one hour difference, think of the negative effects that accompany an inconsistent or shortened sleep schedule.