Don’t lose any sleep over it.
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I just wish the world standardised when the DST changes happen. Europe, US and Aus all change at different dates within about a month - which is a bit annoying for scheduling.
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I’m more likely to lose sleep over all this springing forward and falling back we keep doing!
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There’s plenty of research to show that changing the clock twice a year has detrimental health effects. It’s one of the key reasons that the US is opting for permanent DST. Also of note is the western edge effect where people on the western side of the time zone fare worse than the eastern side.
Geography can also make a difference in how daylight saving time affects people. One study showed that people living on the western edge of a time zone, who get light later in the morning and light later in the evening, got less sleep than their counterparts on the eastern edge of a time zone.
This study found that western edge residents had higher rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer, as well as lower per capita income and higher health care costs. Other research has found that rates of certain other cancers are higher on the western edge of a time zone.
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Interesting about the western edge effect - it’s certainly something the Mt Isa people keep throwing at us to avoid Queensland embracing DST.
You and I @TV.Cynic are at the eastern edge of our timezone (153 degrees east, so 3 degrees east of the 150th parallel AEST is set on), and if anything many here suffer from disturbed sleep in summer due to the super-early sunrises in summer, due also to our lack of daylight saving. Through the months of November-January there is light in the sky from 4am local time, making it very hard to sleep in at all.
So as I say, purely selfishly speaking I’d totally embrace year-round DST here in South East Queensland, but I’d feel sorry for my southern friends if that occurred there (I know just how cold and dark those winter mornings can be).
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Standardisation was thanks to the railways… is it technology again driving this debate? How long before we have “Earth Time” (a bit like China’s one timezone). Because of the increasing plasticity of work schedules, come 100 years will we need any more than one?
All these arguments tend to ignore the basic facts about the earth’s wobble, and especially how much light we lose per week during the equinoxes (about 15 minutes a week at 40 degrees south, more the closer to the poles you get), which is why changing from timezones appears less purposeful, as the argument “the sun’s up/down by then in a month’s time” holds. This is true, this is also why the third Sunday of the month was also selected (because it fell on the equinox).
The whole debate really boils down to whether you’re a morning person or not, any other points raised are just people trying to justify their own biases.
Changing to/from DST is a compromise and I think it’s probably better for it to stay in the states/territories closer to the poles (where it matters more). It’s not that hard to work out what time it is in Perth, or Adelaide, or NZ. Get an app.
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Theoretically that is GMT, but of course here in Oz it would otherwise mean we’d be sleeping during sunlight and going to work/school around sunset. Or we go to work at 10-12pm.
I guess not surprising then that there are 40 time zones in the world, and we currently use 5 of them!
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I spent the past 13 years working nights and have only just switched back to a day schedule. For me time has become somewhat meaningless. I know what time I work and whether the sun is up or not is irrelevant.
It is true that this all comes down to individual bias however there is also a lot of resistance to change too.
For every argument for or against there is a solution to suit each person’s individual needs (eg If you can’t sleep while the sun is up, get darker or light blocking curtains for your bedroom).
When it comes to permanent daylight saving time, for many parts of the world their mornings are dark in winter until after 9am normally and they manage just fine. I also find it strange that the people who love what daylight saving does (“move” the light from morning to afternoon) are generally the same people who bitch that it gets dark early in winter. Permanent daylight saving time helps with that at the expense of longer dark mornings. You can’t have everything.
Personally I’m not fussed whether any state or country goes for permanent standard or daylight time as long as this ridiculous and outdated concept (which no longer serves its original purpose of saving energy) is finally gone.
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And there are those who work shift work, shift times changing every few days and up to ten-plus days in a row. Think you’ll find in comparison that wipes any body clock argument with a simple and known one-hour difference twice a year off the map in comparison. Our bodies are not so fragile that they cannot handle a 60-minute change every 180 days as it is no different to staying up late one night for a party or waking earlier to attend an ANZAC Day service.
The only real consideration IMO is the bevy of timezones within short distance of each other, but only if the jurisdictions each agree. Jurisdictions should have the right to self determine their local time, particularly the larger the area is in latitude being considered.
As I’ve posted before, if there is any year-round time, it should be halfway between DST and standard time, otherwise, for one, I am not interested because of the impact on those at the northern or southern parts of the country.
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Six if you include the area around Eucla on Western Central Time.
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I wonder if Eucla should be split into Western Central Standard Time and Western Central Daylight Savings Time 
Then we could have 7 time zones!
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1000 times yes.
Yeah, nah…
The people living in far west China either unofficial use local time or they adjust their schedules to sync with the rise and set of the Sun.
Two solutions to a problem that shouldn’t exist 
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I’m not a fan of the half way approach as it still leaves us with very early sunrises in Summer. The earliest sunrise would be 5:11am here in Canberra, 5:07am in Sydney, and 4:55am in Hobart.
The current one hour charge is the perfect way to bring the Summer sunrise and sunset times to desirable times in my opinion.
I’m very interested to hear that the USA is likely to move to permanent daylight saving time, as has been looked at across much of Europe in recent years.
As i’ve said, I’d be in favour of using UTC+11 year round here in Canberra.
I’m currently waking up for work at 6am in the dark now, and despite the change in April. It will only be about 2 weeks after the change and i’ll be back to dark for my morning alarm again.
I’d personally rather just stay on DST and enjoy the lighter evenings.
Clearly, globally, the general consensus is that lighter evenings are more favourable, regardless of darkness of Winter mornings.
My stance is that Winter mornings are already dark anyway, we may as well just stay on DST and have the benefit of the lighter evenings.
Of course, this is quite a contentious issue.
If daylight saving time changes were abolished in Australia, what would you prefer as the new normal?
- Permanent standard time
- Halfway approach (move standard time forward 30 minutes)
- Permanent daylight saving time
0 voters
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@NQCQTV2 Can you put a “don’t care just make everyone the same” option?
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Queensland definitely needs it IMO.
After living in areas like Cairns over summer months, it felt weird having the sun come up quite early in the morning.
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Daylight saving time really wreaks havoc with my whole system for half the year (I am aware this is largely psychological), definitely my least favourite part about living in this part of the world.
I never feel like my body ever fully adjusts to it (makes my insomnia worse and ruins what’s left of my appetite)
Before the 1970s we got along just fine without it.
This is really interesting to hear!
I’ve never heard of it having such an affect on people.
For me, the only time I really notice any issues is in the first day or two in October when DST starts.
I’ve travelled overseas and back with significant time zone differences and not had any jet lag before, yet I do feel quite tired for the first 2 days after we start DST.
After that I don’t even notice any different and new time seems normal.
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