Opinion: Daylight Saving Time - A cause of health related problems?

By Carylinn Edmonds

These days the philosophy behind Daylight Savings Time in New Zealand has little relevance to our lifestyle. The original rationale quoted being that we would become more energy efficient through the reduction of power and transport costs. Also mentioned was the likelihood of crime reduction. But then reality is that by increasing the hours of sunlight so as to enjoy the outdoors and gain more leisure time, we have increased energy usage, an example being the increase of power usage in air-conditioned buildings. Furthermore crime has increased.

In 2006 kiwi culture is a twenty-four hour and seven day a week society. Many people are seeking positive change and one idea for this is that the New Zealand Standard Time be increased by one hour permanently to thirteen hours in advance of Greenwich Mean Time.

This excerpt by Stanley Cohen in a recent Gale Group online publication is enlightening. “Sleep sliding away; we’re a sleep deprived society, and the carnage after daylight savings time proves it.”

My investigation alerts me to the fact that sleep disruption can cause a range of problems which result in an ongoing effect on our health. Two examples being are the momentary loss of attention that can cause serious work and road accidents, and emotional problems such as depression and anger that also tend to increase. These all indirectly act as a catalyst for abrupt change in many families.

I conducted an indiscriminate survey of twenty people of different ages and professions to gauge public opinion about Daylight Savings Time. Asked were two questions. “What are your thoughts about Daylight Savings Time, and would you support a request for a permanent change to the Daylight Savings or NZ Standard Time Acts?”

DST – Time Acts

General consensus was that positive benefits were to be gained from the continuation of Daylight Savings Time. 80% supported the idea for a permanent change to the Standard Time Act and the other 20% were in favour of the March clock adjustment be extended to the last week in April.

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