DeKalb Times

March marked the start of daylight saving time — when there’s more daylight throughout the day.

“I think it’s time we ‘Lock the Clock’ and end DTS,” Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) wrote on Facebook. “If Congress wants to do something that is actually meaningful, they should pass legislation to nationally end Daylight Savings Time. What do you think?”

Arizona and Hawaii are two states that don’t follow DTS.

“There is clear evidence that going back and forth not only affects adults with [more] heart attacks and strokes but also affects our kids, particularly with teen sleep deprivation,” said Beth Ann Malow, a neurologist who serves as director of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s sleep division, according to the Washington Post.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) began on March 13 and many Americans lost an hour of sleep as the clocks moved forward an hour. DST will end on Nov. 6, when Americans will put the clocks back an hour for the winter.

There have been many efforts to stick to either standard time or daylight saving time.

Doctors have called for the end of DST for years. In 2020, The American Academy of Sleep Medicine issued a position statement calling for the end of DST, in favor of a fixed year-round time for states across the country.

The Washington Post reported that Congress is weighing in on making a permanent decision on DST. The Post noted that on March 9 a hearing was convened by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on consumer protection to hear testimony before Congress decides on any legislation on the matter.

“Every Sunday or Monday, the majority of your colleagues are returning from their districts,” testified Lyle Beckwith, senior vice president for government relations at the National Association of Convenience Stores, the Washington Post reported. “They’re returning with one, two, three hours of sleep deprivation. So if setting the clocks ahead one hour is dangerous, flying East is deadly.”