Tennessee should say no to year-round daylight saving time | Opinion

Delayed winter sunrise would cause the equivalent of jet lag. Instead of extending daylight savings time, end it in favor of year-round Standard Time.

Matthew Metzgar

Guest columnist

Matthew Metzgar, a UT graduate, is a professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
The Tennessee Senate should nix the bill that the House passed for health and economics reasons.

The Tennessee House on Monday passed HB0247, which would implement year-round daylight saving time in the state, subject to Congressional approval. The full Senate has yet to take up the bill.

While the idea of brighter evenings sure seems like a good idea, there are many potential drawbacks that have not been discussed. When studied more closely, the idea of year-round daylight saving time may not look so sunny.

Daylight saving time is currently implemented from March through November, pushing sunrise and sunset forward by one hour. The state follows standard time during the other months.

The change would disrupt the body's circadian rhythms

12. DST introduced • Year: 1980 • Location: Sweden Not 20 years after a Swedish television station convinced viewers that a nylon stocking would transform their black-and-white television sets to color TVs, the Swedish daily newspaper DN reported that daylight savings time had been introduced without prior notice resulting in -- according to the paper -- widespread chaos. Daylight savings would not actually be introduced until five days later. ALSO READ: Least Fashionable Cities in America

If DST was implemented year-round, this would delay the winter sunrise in an unhealthy way. For example, the current sunrise in Nashville during January is around 7 a.m. With year-round DST, the sun wouldn’t rise until 8 a.m.

Many workers would then begin their workday in darkness. Worse, young children waiting for the school bus would also be in darkness, creating a potential safety hazard.

Further, this delayed sunrise would impact the body’s circadian rhythms. Shift work has long been known to have negative impacts on health. The delayed winter sunrise would have a similar effect, causing the equivalent of jet lag.

Scientists agree that extending standard time, not DST, is better

Various scientific bodies have released statements opposing year-round DST and endorsing a return to year-round standard time. The Society for Research on Biological Rhythms has stated that year-round standard time would enhance sleep, increase cardiac health and reduce cancer risk. The European Biological Rhythms Society has stated that year-round standard time will improve work and school performance, reduce weight, and reduce alcohol and tobacco consumption.

Advocates of year-round DST often say it will reduce energy consumption. This is not true. When Indiana implemented DST state-wide, it actually increased electricity consumption by $9 million per year. It also increased emissions of various pollutants such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

No one likes changing their clocks twice a year. But the best solution isn’t to extend daylight saving time, it’s to end it altogether. Year-round standard time will enhance sleep, improve performance, and reduce the risk of cancer and other conditions. It’s time for Tennessee to turn out the lights on year-round Daylight Saving Time.

Matthew Metzgar is a clinical professor of economics at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Tennessee in 2001.