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Don’t forget to move your clocks forward this weekend. And then don’t forget to be more careful in the days after you adjust your clocks. Because a recent study found that the hour of lost sleep was related to increased job-related injuries. Probably because sleepy workers were less alert. The work appeared last September in the Journal of Applied Psychology. [see http://bit.ly/coie2b]
Organizational behavioral psychologists Christopher Barnes and David Wagner analyzed reports filed with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health about injuries that took place in mines. The study looked at all reports between 1983 and 2006. And they found that compared with other days, more injuries happened on the Monday after daylight saving time went into effect. And the injuries were more severe. Survey data found that people sleep on average 40 minutes less on the Sunday night right after the time change.
The data also revealed that on Mondays after the switch to standard time—when we gain an hour of sleep—there’s no significant differences in sleep or injuries. So enjoy that extra hour of sunlight in the evening. Carefully.
—Steve Mirsky
[The above text is an exact transcript of this podcast.]
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6 Comments
Add CommentOk, Can someone tell me why keep daylight savings time? I'm not interested in any theory of why we have it; there are three I can think of right now. The question is why do we still need it.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSome states like Arizona don't do it, and they haven't fallen off the map. I personally think it is just tradition, at best, and/or some un-empirical way to control something, at worst. I hate to brake it to folks, but it doesn't control or save anything! The relation between the sun and earth determines day length, not our clocks.
Without the annual switch to DST we would be late for weddings and other church-related events. Islamic traditionalist are responsible for daylight saving disasters and have claimed responsibility. Check you local Yihad Jane for details.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMine injuries rise, there is also a spike in car accidents for both changes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow Chile decided to push back their change and that has caused work for all sorts of problems with computer systems.
Why do we keep this archaic, useless action ?
Set the time half-way between and leave it.
Originally it was to save energy. That proved to be a falsehood. Now because merchants do more business if women shop more in the daylight.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisTheir lobby was behind increasing the amount of DST by ~6 weeeks a couple years ago.
I for one do enjoy the appearance of more daylight after work. I feel freer to enjoy outdoor activities during the DST time. I think it's worth the cost of a loss of sleep for that one day. It just seems like you have more time of your own after the end of the work day. I know not everyone's schedules allow for that feeling, but it works for lots of daytime workers.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDST was adapted by the US in 1918 during the war to conserve coal and candles. After the war many areas still didn't have electricity so the idea stuck for awhile. I don't see any reason to keep it today. It causes more harm then good.
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