Every first Sunday of November in parts of the world, including most of the United States and Canada, the clock sets an hour back to mark the end of daylight savings. You know what everyone says about daylight savings, “Make sure to change your clocks.” During the warmer months, the days are longer, more daylight, and more enjoyable. In some states, students get to school when it is pitch black out. Then, they leave school an hour before or during the sunset. 

During the cold months, students have more difficulty keeping up with school work because of the lack of daylight and sleep. To that end, we must look to the things that can maximize our emotional regulation and help compensate for the loss of light and the changes in our sleep schedule. However, some question its effect on sleep and mental health and argue that it should be discontinued. Some research suggests daylight saving causes an increase in traffic accidents and workplace injuries and that it no longer saves energy — the original goal when it was implemented in 1918the 

The Senate responded to the debate last March with the passage of the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would have made daylight saving time permanent. However, the bill did not pass the House. Should we do away with daylight saving time? Northeastern teaching professor Kristen Lee talked to Northeastern Global News about the impact of daylight saving on sleep and mental health, whether the bill would help or hurt, and how daylight saving can help us reflect on our routines. An expert in behavioral health and resilience, Lee’s comments have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Every year, Americans vote on whether to keep or eliminate this bill. But I think the critical thing is, irrespective of the bill passing, highlighting this conversation and this issue can help shed some crucial light on sleep and sleep quality and sleep consistency- no pun intended. 

I think that’s a key thing, too—that it can raise awareness for people to be more mindful. And it’s so tricky, given technology, the hyper-competitive market, and our demands. But this topic can help people recalibrate themselves and realize how vital sleep consistency is.

It raises our attention toward how sleep impacts our well-being, how light, green space, time in nature, and time away from screens affect us. Sometimes, we don’t realize because we’re so hyper-focused on our work, priorities, etc. And so I think this is a good inflection point. Irrespective of whether this gets eliminated eventually, we all should take the psychological agency to focus on the aspects of our sleep, rest, and leisure protocol that we institute in our lives.

Sports happen either before or after school. During these hours, students practice when the sun is setting or when the sun is rising. Students get the exercise, but not the sun giving them nutrients.