Multiple times this week, I have had the misfortune of waking up before my alarm. Before my brother even left the house to go to school. At 6:30 AM.
It has been infuriating. Every time I wake up at this ungodly hour, I typically go to bed at 12 AM or later, fully expecting to sleep in a little the following day. However, I will never get another opportunity to experience those missed extra hours of staying in bed.
It made me start to wonder. Why was this happening when it suddenly occurred to me one day coming home? On this day, I realized that the sky wasn’t as dark as it usually was at that specific time. So, does that mean that the amount of sunlight was increasing? That would explain why I was getting up earlier than usual. The sun was brighter than usual. A quick check on the weather app confirmed my suspicions. Sunrise at 6:18 AM.
This is the fault of daylight savings time. A hot topic of conversation lately. There have been so many discussions over whether or not this phenomenon is truly necessary. Lots of people have been strongly against keeping this biannual event whereas others don’t really feel a particular way about it. Well, I am here to say that I don’t mind keeping it and that I am a firm opposer to the Sunshine Protection Act, which would prevent time from changing anymore.
Think about it. Every single person has an internal clock – a circadian rhythm. Our bodies are wired to operate between certain hours on a 24-hour scale. When the sun is out, our bodies instinctively know to wake up and when the sun is gone, go to sleep (unless trained not to do so). Changing the time helps our bodies adjust and normalize the everchanging length of day throughout the year. As the days get longer, the time is forward one hour so that the sun does not rise at 6 AM and instead rises at a normal time such as 7 or 8 AM, like I am accustomed to.
Despite my complaints, I do understand that some may still find it a hassle to change the time (although in an ever increasingly more digital world, one need not worry about it). Eventually, our bodies will naturally become accustomed to these time changes, and it is partially my fault for falling asleep so late and growing annoyed at the unexpected early sunshine.