Daylight Savings Time: Springing Forward

**Garritan** · 03-08-2008, 03:50 PM

Tonight's the night to set your clocks forward an hour (or back 23 hours) before you go to bed. Daylight Savings Time will be arriving (and a bit earlier than previous years).

Still not sure why we do this. Sounds like it's something thought up by clock manufacturers and politicians. Why set your clocks forward only to set them back again? I shouldn't complain... it's easier to set a clock ahead than set it back.

Time to shake off the winter blues (except Ohio and Toronto which are experiencing a major snow storm now).

And don't forget the set your clocks so you get to chat tomorrow at the right time. Remember to adjust your circadian clock too as you will lose an hour of sleep.

Happy Daylight Saving Time!

Gary Garritan

**jmpaquette** · 03-08-2008, 05:37 PM

We do this "time thing" so that we can learn simple ditties such as:

Spring ahead and Fall behind!

That's supposed to inspire the poet within each of us.

Joe

**AlanPerkins** · 03-08-2008, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by Garritan

Tonight's the night to set your clocks forward an hour (or back 23 hours) before you go to bed. Daylight Savings Time will be arriving (and a bit earlier than previous years).

Still not sure why we do this. Sounds like it's something thought up by clock manufacturers and politicians. Why set your clocks forward only to set them back again? I shouldn't complain... it's easier to set a clock ahead than set it back.

Time to shake off the winter blues (except Ohio and Toronto which are experiencing a major snow storm now).

And don't forget the set your clocks so you get to chat tomorrow at the right time. Remember to adjust your circadian clock too as you will lose an hour of sleep.

Gary Garritan

I guess that is why they call it Northern Sounds.

I am going to open up a Southern Sounds in protest at this flagrant discrimination against the both of us from the southern hemisphere who have to set our clocks back an hour at this time...

And what of those people who live in the tropics who don't get to have the experience of changing their clocks at all Hmm?

Happy springtime all you northern hemisphereans

**germancomponist** · 03-08-2008, 09:12 PM

Here in Germany we do this at 03.30.2008, so you are now one hour more forward

**Garritan** · 03-08-2008, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by AlanPerkins

I guess that is why they call it Northern Sounds.

I am going to open up a Southern Sounds in protest at this flagrant discrimination against the both of us from the southern hemisphere who have to set our clocks back an hour at this time...

And what of those people who live in the tropics who don't get to have the experience of changing their clocks at all Hmm?

Happy springtime all you northern hemisphereans

It gets worse Alan...

The change has weird effects upon our mental health

According to Live Science:

Daylight Saving Time effectively snatches a morning hour and adds it to your evenings. That means 7 a.m. Daylight Saving Time is equivalent to 6 a.m. standard time, so your typically sunlit mornings will be dark. The morning darkness could keep your biological clock in winter mode.

"We know for the population as a whole that depressive symptoms become worse during the winter months," Terman said.

Winter blues, affecting about 35 million Americans, are a mild form of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which affects as many as 12 million Americans. Symptoms of SAD include depression, sleep problems, cravings for sweets and other carbohydrates, sluggishness and headaches. The doldrums begin to ramp up some time in the fall and typically remit by the second week of May, Terman said.

"We are making the sun rise even an hour later than it otherwise would during a period when these symptoms should be beginning to improve," Terman said in a telephone interview.
"We are placing these people back into February," Terman said. "We are dealing with a public health issue and the extension of Daylight Saving Time at both ends is extending the period of year in which people are most vulnerable to depression."

**AlanPerkins** · 03-08-2008, 09:43 PM

Well the result can only possibly be really cool music being produced.

Viz:

"Where have all the hours gone??"

**garymosse** · 03-08-2008, 11:29 PM

Hi Gary,
I remember the year that changed time. I was in Boulder, Colo for summer graduate work when the legislation passed. (1965)
A few responses were: with an extra hour of sunlight, you will have to mow your lawn more often; we'll have to milk the cows twice(?)
chickens will lay more eggs.
I remember one year-1975-when DST went until late Nov. Kids were getting on school buses in total darkness.
This time change works best when it's not so dark in the morning at both ends. What is "neat" is when towns are within miles of each other in different time zones.
Gary Moss