Be Careful Out There: Daylight Saving Time

If we all pull together we'll get through this.

Remember, we're Americans. There isn't anything we can't do.

Experts say some of us could die from heart attacks or strokes in the next couple of days. Others will get in car wrecks. Students will do poorly on tests. But if we're careful – and remember to eat breakfast – most of us will survive.

I'm talking about Daylight Saving Time, which commenced at 2 a.m. Sunday.

Those of us who thought this springtime change simply involved setting clocks, drinking coffee and looking forward to long bike rides after work were wrong. Very wrong.

At least that's what the army of sleep alarmists – who awaken every year about this time – want us to believe. They caution that this is way more than a 60-minute inconvenience.

Lack of sleep is perilous, they say. That lost hour puts us at greater risk of all sorts of ailments and makes us vulnerable to car accidents. Worse, some people never adjust to DST.

Headlines ring out the danger:

"Health experts offer tips to survive Daylight Saving Time change."

"Not just lost sleep: Can switching to DST kill you?"

"DST poses concerns for drivers."

"Ready for the time change? You should grab a banana."

I recently stumbled across tips from a sleep specialist on how to switch to DST without suffering from sleep deprivation

Number one: Eat breakfast. Number two: Exercise.

Excellent ideas. I don't mean to diminish them, but aren't these important for a healthy lifestyle any time of the year?

Oh, and something every single scientist and doctor from coast to coast seems to recommend for a smooth transition to the new time: Don't eat or drink alcohol close to bedtime.

Again, common sense. Downing a slab of meatloaf in your pajamas and swigging jug wine from the nightstand were never the keys to a good night's sleep.

When it comes to DST, many people are passionate. Sen. Marco Rubio, for instance. Last week he gave a speech on the floor of the U.S, Senate in favor of passage of the “Sushine Protection Act of 2023” that enjoys bipartisan support and would make DST permanent across the nation. A similar bill passed the Senate last year but was never brought to a vote in the House.

One more gift from Nancy Pelosi.

““This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid. Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support. This Congress, I hope that we can finally get this done.” Rubio said.

Amen.

As an unapologetic fan of the later hours of sunshine – and someone who hopes we never go back to the dark days of Eastern Standard Time in November – I did some research of my own to help counteract last week's gloom.

Sure, we're yawning today, but according to Business Insider, crime drops when we make the time switch. In fact, that publication claims there is a 27 percent drop in the robbery rate during the sunset hours after our clocks go ahead.

Ask yourself, would you rather be a little drowsy or mugged?

Here's another upside: The Washington Post reported several years ago that "television ratings tend to suffer during DST, and networks hate it."

Less time on the couch, more in the sun. Who can argue with that?

There is one point of agreement by those on both sides of the DST debate: They all concede that today will be less productive than most. There's even a word for what will be going on in many offices: cyberloafing.

Workers will be so foggy that they'll spend all day hunched over their computers, pretending to work. This also occurs on the day after the Super Bowl. In fact, Time Magazine addressed the phenomenon in an article aimed at employers.

Given that more than 1.5 million workers would call in sick the Monday after America's big game, this piece suggested that managers show their appreciation to those who did show up: Lighten the mood by providing these loyal employees with a lavish breakfast and bring "in a comedian, a funny speaker, a musician."

So if you managed to drag yourself out of bed this morning, negotiated traffic and arrived safely at work only to find that your thoughtless boss has neglected to buy doughnuts and hire a comedian to cheer you up, well, go ahead and cyberloaf.

If anyone asks, tell them you're just doing your best to survive Daylight Saving Time.