Mount Pleasant Magazine Sept/Oct 2019

65 www.MPMcalendar.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.ILoveMountPleasant.com feature W aking on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 3, and realizing there’s an extra hour to wallow — by the clock’s terms — is a nice perk. But the joy of that glorious hour fades when it starts getting dark before dinner time and you remember how short the days seem in the winter. Daylight saving time (DST) occurs in the spring when clocks are turned an hour forward, so it is perceptively lighter later in the day. In the fall, DST ends, and clocks are turned back one hour. What started in World War I as an effort to make better use of the daylight and conserve fuel for power has slipped in and out of use inconsistently, spawning confusion as some states observed it and others did not. It has since morphed into the standard U.S. practice with the exception of parts of Arizona, Hawaii and many U.S. territories. Now, over a century since DST started, its pros and cons have changed just as the economy, technology and lifestyles have. Research shows that when DST begins in the spring, there is a corresponding decrease in crime and a slight economic boost. There are also alarming negatives like an increase in car accidents, and as much as a 24% increase in heart attacks, according to cardiology journal Open Heart . The latter two are largely attributed to loss of sleep and disruption of the circadian rhythm. In the fall, when DST ends, short days and limited sunshine take a toll on both mental health and the economy, with as much as a 4.9% decrease in spending, one JPMorgan study showed. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is more prevalent when DST ends. Symptoms for winter-specific SAD — feeling depressed, loss of interest in activities, low energy, sleep problems and weight changes — appear in late fall or early winter but are alleviated when spring and sunshine return. For the 10 million Americans who experience it and the additional 10-20% of the population estimated BY ANNE SHULER TOOLE Falling Behind? Shedding Light on Daylight SavingTime