“Gimme more light in the evening year round. I’ve had jobs where I wake up before sunrise … give me more daylight after work.” This comment was posted almost two years ago on Reddit by “ThaddyG”. It may be just one comment, but millions of others agree with this person’s opinion on Daylight Savings Time.

Daylight Savings Time originated in Germany in 1916 by New Zealand scientist George Vernon Hudson and British builder William Willett (smithsonian.com and timeanddate.com). In 1918, the U.S. followed suit. It was initially used for wartime to conserve energy sources but was withdrawn a year later in 1919, then re-established during World War II. After WWII, Daylight Savings became a federal law in 1966 and is still being used today However, has this benefited people in the United States? What are people’s opinions about it?

There are many benefits to daylight savings. You get more light in the morning making it bright and clear to see at six a.m. It makes driving to work or school in the morning much safer due to the shining light, and waking up also gets easier because the sun is already up! On the night of Daylight Savings, you get an extra hour of sleep. In an article written by Dominic Genetti on TheTelegraph.com, he stated, “Experts say that an extra hour of sleep has a domino effect, resulting in a better mood, less stress, and a reduced risk of heart disease.” This states that getting that extra hour of sleep can help increase a person’s mood and thinking. This will let the person function better throughout the day and have a much better understanding of what they are working on. In a TikTok video, posted by “arianaabegayle” on November 3, 2024, she made a point about getting an extra hour of studying due to daylight savings. She ended the video by saying “thank you daylight savings” proving that people should be glad that Daylight Savings is around because of the extra hour. Overall, daylight savings’s one major benefit is the extra hour people get on the night of Daylight Savings. It helps people feel more relaxed and better for the next day.

While daylight savings has its benefits, it also has some disadvantages. Daylight Savings was used during wars to preserve their energy sources, but after 60 years, it became pretty useless. Many people get confused about why it could be 10 p.m. at 5:30 p.m. They stand against it. In a TikTok video posted by verified user, “horchata_soto” on November 4, 2024, they stated that “daylight savings is not fun” and that “sunlight’s already getting less and less each day.” They spoke negatively about daylight savings and gave logical reasons as to why it should also be removed. There have also been some studies showing that Daylight saving causes Seasonal Depression. In the article, “How Daylight Saving Time Could Affect your Health”, Headline.com states, “During the fall and winter, when the days are shorter, the body’s internal clock may become disrupted due to a lack of exposure to sunlight. This may lead to the symptoms we know as seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD).” The sun setting earlier in the day affects about 5% of adults and lasts about 40% of the year based on information from Psychiatry.org.

Let’s face it, not everyone gets up at 6 in the morning every day just for some extra sunlight. There are many benefits to removing daylight savings time and keeping it, but over the years, many people have claimed that it should be removed in ways I can’t completely disagree with. Many say that daylight savings time should be removed because it is no longer useful, but kept because of the extra hour.