Everyone has heard the phrases “spring forward” and “fall backward” to remember changing their clocks for daylight saving time, or DTS. However, they are not usually aware of the reasoning behind these phrases.

This unusual practice that is practically only used in some parts of the U.S. is typically explained by two reasons. The first reason being that it favored the farmers and those who worked in agriculture by maximizing daylight in the past when agriculture was imperative to the growth of the U.S. The more modern reason that was created for keeping this seemingly archaic procedure in place was that it lowers electricity usage within the nation. In reality, neither of these explanations justify DTS.

By changing the natural time period of things, DTS actually harms farmers. Those who collected crops were left with “less sunlight to get crops to the market,” and cows whose “bodies and the milk they’re tasked with producing are affected by the time changes” (Daylight Saving Time Is America’s Greatest Shame). The main supposed benefactors of the process are thus the ones most negatively impacted by it.

The second popular argument for DTS has also been debunked. According to the data and research composed by organizations, such as The California Energy Commission and National Geographic, the time change has, in fact, no change on the energy usage or actually increases energy usage. Due to the longer days, things such as air conditioning are more often used, thus disproving the need for DTS.

In addition to both of these striking finds, an abundance of other proof against the benefits of DTS has arisen. CNN.com’s article “Why Daylight Saving Time Can Be Bad For Your Health” explains how the time change has been correlated with an increase in strokes, heart attacks, and declining cognitive abilities. These detrimental effects are most likely due to the disturbance in sleep patterns that major populations suffer from during these times.

Though many have been blindly convinced that DTS is a benevolent and advantageous decision, it has been proven against time and time again. The time change is practically useless, detrimental in various ways, and should be finally put to an end.