Daylight saving time should be permanent due to the negative impact and effects the time transitions cause on people. There are many benefits to having more daylight later in the day than at earlier hours.

Do you find yourself feeling groggy or tired because of the one hour loss of sleep?

As a student, the time transition can negatively impact your sleep or overall ability to function. This can affect you and your ability to be attentive and focus in class. Your circadian rhythm (your body’s internal clock) is able to adapt to time changes, however, this can take several days. To a student, these several days can consist of tests to study for and important lectures to listen to which all require a well-rested mind to effectively do these things.

The National Sleep Foundation says that losing even just one hour of sleep can negatively impact how you feel and function during the day and can decrease your alertness when driving. This is especially pertinent for those who have to commute to school or work.

A study from Accident Analysis & Prevention showed that an additional hour of daylight would reduce pedestrian fatalities from an oncoming vehicle by 33 percent in the morning and 25 percent during the evening. When it’s dark out, it’s hard to see pedestrians that cross the street unless they have something reflective on or they’re flashing a light. With an hour increase in daylight exposure, there will be a decrease in the amount of fatalities.

If the United States permanently decides to keep daylight saving time, there would be more daylight for those that get out of work after 5 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who like to be outside during the day but are unable to due to being stuck inside until the evening. With an increase in daylight hours, more people will be willing to do outside activities, such as playing recreational sports at your local park or relaxing at the beach to watch the sunset after your long day at work or class.

Daylight saving time not only saves more daylight, but also saves more energy. The Department of Energy found that daylight saving time saved about 0.5 percent in total electricity per day. That may not sound like a lot of energy but if you think of the thousands of households and the energy that each of them save just by the fact that they aren’t using the lamp to light up their room really accumulates over time. So not only would you save money on your electricity bill but you will also make an environmental impact.

Enough with the time transitions that we get twice a year. Being sleep deprived is enough of a problem as a student. Hopefully those on campus were able to adapt easily to the time change and weren’t negatively impacted in their studies or work.