My Brain on Daylight Saving Time | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: Please join me in welcoming our newest contributor to BCN, Kathy Manos Penn, a native of the "Big Apple", by way of the "Peach City" - Atlanta. Kathy is a former English teacher, author of The Ink Penn blog, and a communications professional in corporate America. Now with Kathy on board, I advise all other contributors to mind your punctuation and syntax.

    Running through my brain this week are thoughts of the disorientation I experience when we "spring forward" each year. Yes, we'll have more daylight hours after dinner, which I enjoy, but it will take me the week to get over my "fuzzy brain syndrome."

    I didn't catch the whole blurb, but the Weather Channel mentioned there are more heart attacks when the time changes, though the reason for the increase is unclear. Another fact reported by the Huffington Post is that "workplace and car accident deaths have been known to increase five to seven per cent in the three days following the start of daylight saving time." This short-term negative seems to be offset by fewer accidents overall when daylight saving time is in effect. That impact is attributed to more driving occurring in daylight hours when driving is safer.

    In 2014, our local paper reported that the state of Tennessee was considering staying on daylight saving time year round and never "falling back." And a Google search indicated that Florida was considering the same. What's Florida's rationale? Giving residents more daylight later into the evening and boosting the economy by encouraging tourists to stay out later. I'm betting that the hope for increased tourist dollars is the primary impetus.

    Someone once told me that she always took the week following our "spring forward" as a vacation week, so she could adjust more easily to the change. That sounds like a grand plan, though I've never managed to try it myself.

    Since my thoughts ramble around, an image of my former boss just popped into my mind. He lives on the West coast but has always worked an East coast schedule. He's at his desk at 5:30 AM PT on weekdays and claims to call it quits around 2:30 PM. Like most of us, though, his workday has a flexible end, and he often works later. I'd have to be in bed by 8 PM to make that schedule work for me. Just the thought of regularly getting up at 4:30 AM makes me shudder. At least the effect of "spring forward" is temporary.

    Much as I enjoy "falling back" and waking up early and refreshed for a few days, I'd gladly trade that sensation for never having to "spring ahead" again. Meanwhile, please excuse me while I get another cup of coffee.