The one night of the year many people look forward to is the night when they get an extra hour of sleep. Who does not like more sleep when they can still go to bed at the same time? Daylight saving time occurs twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. Not everyone observes daylight saving time, but the parts of the world that still follow the rules of this event experienced it on Saturday, November 2. Of course, many enjoy the added hour, but most still do not understand the concept of the occurrence.
According to Jordan Friedman of National Geographic, the history of daylight saving dates back to the early 1900s. Germany was the first country to establish the first nationwide daylight saving time in 1916. Germany did this in hopes of decreasing fuel usage during World War 1. In 1918, the Standard Time Act was put in place, which established the five different time zones, which also introduced daylight savings time. During war, daylight savings benefited the workers by giving them an extra hour of natural light to work. But after the war, daylight saving time was discontinued. During World War II, the time change made a return and was titled “wartime”. After the war ended in September 1945, cities and states got to decide for themselves whether they would like to keep daylight saving time in place or get rid of it. (Friedman, 2025)
Whether or not a person is in favor of daylight saving time or completely against it, there undoubtedly are pros and cons to this event. From the editors at Britannica, DST in the fall has many benefits regarding public safety. For instance, car accidents tend to decrease because the people who have early mornings are able to drive with more light. DST starting in the spring also has perks such as more daylight in the evening, which encourages people to be outside and participate in outdoor activities throughout the spring, summer, and the beginning of fall.
Daylight saving time comes with just as many cons as pros. One of the most annoying downfalls of DST is trying to get back to a normal sleep schedule. Studies have shown that changing a sleep pattern by just an hour is not good for health (Britannica, 2025). It is also known that the Monday after the time change in the spring is the most unproductive day of the year (Britannica, 2025).
From my perspective and based on research, I can understand the reason why daylight saving time was invented and why it has been continued twice. Personally, I do enjoy daylight saving. I do agree that during the summer, daylight saving is beneficial to have more daylight in the evenings because it provides more natural light and the ability to be outside while the weather is more enjoyable. I also obviously enjoy getting the extra hour of sleep in November. I felt a million times better the next morning. Before my research, I believed the idea of time change was pointless and unnecessary. I wondered why we could not keep the same time year-round. Now, I am able to respect the reasons behind the science of daylight saving.
In conclusion, daylight saving was initially created to benefit war workers and provide them with more hours to work with natural light. Since then, daylight saving has continued and is still recognized in most parts of the world. So, whether you enjoy the extra rest in the fall or hate the loss of an hour of sleep in the spring, daylight saving time is here to stay.
