Is Daylight Savings Bad?

VFJ Pilates | Musings

Every autumn, I ask myself the same thing: why are we still doing this?

Daylight Saving Time, or British Summer Time as we call it in the UK, has always seemed like more hassle than help, especially these days. I’m not convinced it’s good for us anymore… or that it’s even necessary.

According to the UK Government:

"In the UK, the clocks go forward 1 hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, and back 1 hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October."

The idea is simple: more usable daylight in the evenings. But the history is anything but simple, Benjamin Franklin suggested it in 1784 to conserve candles (yes, really). Later, a New Zealand entomologist wanted more time to collect bugs. Germany implemented it during WWI to save energy. Britain followed soon after.

The UK officially adopted BST in 1916 to help with the war effort. It was popular enough to keep. We even experimented with double BST during WWII and again in 1947. From 1968–1971 we tried keeping BST all year round, but it didn’t go down well, especially in the most northern parts of Scotland.

So here we are, bouncing between GMT and BST every year.

There are some pros. More daylight in the evening. Lower crime rates. Supposedly lower energy usage. Fewer traffic accidents.

But also some cons. It messes with your circadian rhythm. Reduces productivity. Causes confusion, stress, lost time, and money.

Honestly? I find it exhausting.

There’s the literal faff — clocks on ovens and cars don't update automatically like your phone does.

There’s the confusion — I’m dyslexic, so the hour change knocks me off-kilter. I spend days thinking I’m late when I’m not, or vice versa.

And then there’s the tiredness — whether the clocks go forward or back, my body rebels. I’m perpetually tired as it is (thank you, dyslexia), and the clock change just adds insult to injury.

Then there are my kids - the extra hour in bed doesn’t exist when you have little ones. The “lost” hour? Utter chaos. (Though shoutout to Brierfield, where the kids once magically slept in during a sleepover during the changeover. I’m considering moving.)

Should it be scrapped? Maybe. The EU has proposed getting rid of the whole thing. We are no longer in the EU, but staying aligned would make things easier for trade and travel.

Personally? I’d be fine without the clock change. My clients often feel the same. We were all surprised to learn the previous UK experiment didn’t go well, but that was 50 years ago. A lot’s changed since then.

Permanent BST? I’d vote yes. But I’ll let the experts decide.

In the meantime, does anyone know what date the clocks go back? I need to book another grandparent sleepover.

— Victoria

#VFJPilatesMusings #WhimsicalWellbeing #SleepoversAreTheWayToGo #ClockChangeFaff #DaylightSavingTime #BritishSummertime

Sources:

http://www.vfjpilates.co.uk