Congress has tried -- and plans to try again -- to abolish the annoying twice-a-year ritual of changing clocks by placing the United States permanently on daylight saving time. But before making this extremely impactful decision, our representatives need to first consult our little people -- those who don't suffer from government foolishness and clocks, and know naturally when to wake up -- our toddlers who function on toddler time (i.e., standard time).
Columnists Marlene Condon: An 'invasive' species reality check MARLENE A. CONDON
A young child -- not needing to follow arbitrary rules created by adults for adults -- follows mandatory rules determined by the biological clock which humans and other organisms possess. A toddler instinctively wakes up early in the morning in time to be active during the first sunlit hours of the day, which is vital for his system to function properly. Adults benefit similarly; that first exposure to the sun's photons suppresses the production of sleep-inducing melatonin (a hormone), waking us up to take on the day.
An internal biological clock determines when an organism should be active and when it should be dormant. Known as circadian rhythms, they're different for various organisms, but -- in general -- are based upon the variable rising and setting times of the sun.
Obviously, these biological rhythms are important or they wouldn't exist. Every aspect of the natural world has a particular purpose that perpetuates life by helping organisms fit well into their environment. Humans, who don't see well at night, are more suited to daylight rather than nighttime activity and therefore have biological clocks set to get them up and about in the morning. Mice, on the other hand, wake up as the light of day is fading in order to forage under cover of darkness to be less conspicuous to predators.
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Humans, however, want to run their lives as they see fit; not as Mother Nature demands. Biologically, we are supposed to become less active as darkness is falling, with sleep eventually overtaking us so our bodies can clean up our internal system by repairing interior damage done during the day's activity. Without sufficient sleep, your body gets into trouble because it doesn't get these indispensable actions completed, such as restoring its immune system or cleansing its brain of toxic chemicals.
Unfortunately, most people are not at all aware of this essential-to-our-wellbeing purpose of sleep and thus treat slumber as a waste of time, which it surely is not. This lack of respect for a good quality and a good quantity of sleep is exactly why too many folks argue for permanent daylight saving time that literally robs us of the sleep our bodies stipulate that we get.
Consider the practical implications of daylight saving time: In the eastern U.S., families need to stay up until almost 10 p.m. to watch fireworks on the Fourth of July -- a holiday often followed by a workday, which means adults won't get the seven to eight hours of sleep they should get to perform well at their jobs. Staying up late every night continues all summer because no one wants to go to bed when the sun is still up, creating a huge sleep deficit for young and old alike by the time autumn rolls around.
To get more sunshine, follow a toddler's and preschooler's example: Be an early bird. Rise shortly before the sun, have breakfast and enjoy those first rays of sunshine each day, as Mother Nature intended. You can reset your biological clock by going to bed earlier and awakening earlier. Soon it will come naturally -- as it biologically should.
Don't let the manipulative use of language -- such as naming the bill to make daylight saving time permanent, "The Sunshine Protection Act" -- fool you into thinking you'll somehow get more hours of sunlight, which, of course, is nonsense. The day is 24 hours long, no matter the system employed for making order of it, and the hours of sunshine versus darkness is independent of this artificially contrived system that ignores biology and therefore is, in plain speaking, stupid.
Much talk has taken place for decades about Americans not getting enough sleep and the dangerous consequences resulting from this situation, such as more vehicular accidents due to falling asleep at the wheel or poor reaction time, and stressed motorists confronting others (road rage), sometimes fatally. So how can Congress possibly take seriously the idea of keeping daylight saving time year around, when it's not protecting sunshine, but rather, stealing sleep?
To avoid such ill effects from lack of sleep as mental health issues, neurological concerns, changes in your appearance (such as dark, undereye circles), vulnerability to illness, weight gain, higher stress levels that contribute to heart disease and abnormal heart rhythm, and much more, according to the Cleveland Clinic, you should let your representatives know how inane daylight saving time would be year around. Tell them we all need to be on toddler time.