Daylight Saving Time: Weird Myths And Facts

Daylight Saving Starts March 9th

Well it's that time again Montana, time to lose an hour of sleep as we "spring" ahead and move our clocks up one hour this weekend.

I can't be the only one who is just over this, right?

The Truth About Daylight Saving Time

What's funny is there are some myths about DST that have been repeated ad nauseam for so long they have become "truths". It's like the saying "you only use 10% of your brain", which is also a lie.

So, what are some of the myths surrounding Daylight Saving Time?

Myth 1: Benjamin Franklin proposed it

This stems from him writing a satire letter while he was an envoy in Paris. In it he included "early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."

It was first proposed by a New Zealand entomologist, who liked to collect bugs, named George Hudson. He wanted to move it by 2 hours so he'd have more time to collect.

Myth 2: It was for the farmers

Farmers were actually some of the most vocal opponents of using DST. The myth stems from that that extra hour would give them more time in the fields when it actually gave them one hour less to harvest. Ranchers didn't like it either as it meant milking cows an hour before they were ready.

Myth 3: It saves energy

Yeah, about that, turns out it's a lie as well. If it saves any energy it's not worth all the headache we all go through twice a year to remember to change our clocks.  The amount of energy we save is about .003%. I know that I wasn't very good in math, but that saves me about half a penny a month.

Myth 4: It makes you healthier

This one would seem easy to believe. More sun=More vitamin D, which means better health. No one is going to argue that, HOWEVER, there are lots of negatives that come from the time changes. From workplace accidents to increase in suicides to headaches. We just end up feeling "off" until our natural sleep patterns readjust.

Keep scrolling for some tips to help you make it through the next few sleep deprived days.👇