For a minority of people, Daylight Saving Time (DST) is a thrilling day where they stay up an extra hour because they know they will gain it back. Unfortunately, for others this time switch is deadly.

The United States adopted Daylight Saving Time in 1918 under president Woodrow Willson to help farmers get an extra hour of work in the sunlight. With modern day technology, farmers do not rely on sunlight to get work done. Not only that, but very few jobs rely on the sun as a necessary aspect of their day. DST no longer has a valuable purpose in today’s society so it should be removed from our culture. 

DST has many negative effects on children and adult’s sleep schedules. As reported by Michigan Health, there is a 24% increase in heart attacks when people lose an hour of sleep in the spring. With this knowledge alone we can see the harm DST causes is not worth the sun rising an hour later. Every human has a circadian rhythm that adapts to its surroundings. When our environment’s clock changes every few months, our bodies are unable to naturally adapt. For children in school, this adjustment can be very difficult and can make it challenging to focus in classes. These negative effects should not be excused and DST should be removed from Nebraska. 

Although DST had a value when our only other source for light was candles, now we can leave it behind as we move towards new technology. With the name Daylight Saving Time, you would expect that people would see more sunlight in their days. It is quite the opposite for states farther from the equator. Considering less than 2% of the USA population is farmers, people are not waking up early to see the sunlight that DST is “saving.”

Healthline recorded that when we switch from DST to standard time in the fall, there is an increase in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). For the average U.S. adult that works 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., the only time they will get to see the sun is on the drive to work, and it will be setting when they leave work. DST is not only useless but also harmful. To absorb a healthy amount of vitamin D, you should absorb 30 minutes of sunlight well when the sun is fully in the sky. When there is a lack of vitamin D in the human body, people can experience fatigue, mood swings and muscle weakness. The strain on people’s mental health is not worth carrying out a meaningless tradition. 

Many others are also for the change to “lock the clock” and not switch to DST. According to The Old Father’s Almanac, only 28% of Americans want to keep the changing clock and 33 states have new legislation to remove DST. The U.S. is represented by its people and we no longer want this harmful switch in our schedule. With the majority of Americans ready to leave this old school time change behind, the legislation should mass. 

The majority of Arizona and all of Hawaii do not participate in DST savings which has had a positive outcome. Time Magazine reported that Hawaii did not find it necessary to switch to DST because of their proximity to the equator. States that are close to the equator do not struggle to have daylight to work in. Arizona, known to have sunshine all year round, does not have a need for extra sunlight in the day. This means that DST is useless in southern states. Nebraska would benefit from removing DST because our farmers no longer need the sun to work. 

With all the research showing that DST is negatively affecting people all over the country and that a majority of the U.S. wants to stop changing the clock, it is appalling that we have let this harmful tradition continue on.