By Minah Ha

On March 12, 2017, everyone will be turning their clock one hour forward. For those living on the east coast, daylight savings or “spring forward” is announcing the coming of spring. But for Californians, daylight savings is dreaded and people often report feeling more groggy than usual. From coast to coast, the thoughts on daylight savings is pretty divided!

The purpose of daylight savings is to extend light into the evening. Because I’ve lived on both the east and west coasts, I’ve seen both sides of the argument – for and against turning our clocks one hour forward. During my freshman year, I studied in Boston where it would start getting dark around 4 p.m. By 5p.m., it would be completely dark outside, prompting people to start retreating back into their dorms or homes. In my opinion, once the sun goes down, the cold weather and the night stunts activity. While we all dreaded turning our clock forward, I saw the positive effects of it as there was more activity outside. With more light out in the evening for those who just got out of work or class, it felt like we had time to do more things other than retreat back into our homes.

For Californians, however, we are privileged to experience great weather year round. Although this year, we’re experiencing more cold weather than warm, the sun doesn’t start to set until 6 p.m. So, while we can see the difference in how much longer the light is out, it doesn’t make the same difference in activity as it does on the east coast. Californian’s have made it clear they don’t appreciate daylight savings as they’ve even tried to pass a bill to abolish it. The bill failed to pass, but the dislike for the “spring forward” continues. Californians still see it as a form of sleep deprivation and another time stressor. However, I think that more light throughout the day is beneficial for our health and lifestyle. We’re more likely to go out and participate in physical activity rather than stay inside. Daylight savings has its pros and cons!

Featured image by Lukas Blazek on Unsplash

Minah is currently a sophomore majoring in Global Health and working towards obtaining a MPH/J.D. dual degree. She is from the San Fernando Valley and loves to camp, hike, and read random Wikipedia facts. She speaks Korean and is learning how to speak Spanish.