Daylight Saving and the Benefits of Light
Get ready to change your clocks!
We all welcome those little signs of Spring: the first crocus, catkins, an early daffodil. With it comes a sense of the outdoors calling us into our gardens, parks and countryside and once the clocks go forward to British Summer Time (BST) on 26 March this year, Spring is truly with us. But why do we do change our clocks and what are the health benefits of daylight saving?
Where did daylight saving start?
Daylight saving was originally proposed in the UK in 1907 by William Willett, who happens to be the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay singer Chris Martin who was frustrated that he had to cut short his rounds of golf at dusk!
But the concept was far from new, it was suggested by Benjamin Franklin, founding father of the United States, in 1784 as a way to save on candles and encourage people to wake up earlier in the morning.
Energy saving
It wasn’t until the First World War that it was put into practice by the Germans to preserve energy by adding an extra hour onto the start of the workday and in 1916 Daylight Saving Time (DST) was finally implemented by the UK followed by the USA in 1918.
Love or hate daylight saving?
Daylight saving is now observed in many countries around the world, including Canada, and most of Europe and while many argue that it saves energy, reduces traffic accidents, and provides more time for outdoor activities in the evening, some suggest that the practice disrupts sleep patterns which can have negative effects on health and productivity.
Top 6 benefits to soaking up the light
Like it or not, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of daylight saving being abolished and whether you are an early bird or a night owl, here are 6 reasons to embrace the clock change!
1. Improves mood.
2. Boosts vitamin D
3. Improves sleep
4. Promotes healing
5. Boosts productivity
6. Enhances cognitive function
Clocks go forward at 1:00am on Sunday March 26th
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