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The Psychological Effects of Daylight Saving Time

Benjamin Franklin suggested daylight saving in 1784 in an essay called "An Economic Project," according to the College of Saint Benedict & Saint John's University. It was many years later, in 1916, that his idea was actually put into action. Now approximately 1.6 billion people live in places where there is Daylight Saving Time, says Science Daily. However, the loss of one hour every spring causes slight problems when you have to function that Monday with less sleep than you are used to.

  1. Work Injuries

    • According to Science Daily, when employees go to work that Monday after Daylight Saving Time begins, they are less alert and aware of their surrounds because of the loss of that one hour. In a study from 1983 to 2006, there was a reported average of 3.6 more injuries on this day compared to other days -- along with a total of 2,649 days off of work that were the result of those injuries. Employers are advised to move any dangerous work to another day and follow extreme safety precautions.

    Traffic Accidents

    • A psychologist from the University of British Columbia, Stanley Coren, Ph.D., researched the increase in traffic accidents on the day following DST. He found there was an increase of 7 percent on that Monday and a decrease in the fall of 7 percent when you gain back your hour of sleep. To avoid this, he suggests adjusting your eating and sleeping the day before by moving them up an hour to prepare yourself for the loss of sleep.

    Circadian Clock

    • Your body keeps track of your behavioral and physiological events on a daily basis with light-dark cycles. This is referred to as the circadian clock, which is thrown off during Daylight Saving Time. It needs to reset itself, which takes days. So that Monday after, your circadian clock will be off. Depending on the severity of your body's changes, it can secrete more melatonin to induce sleep or cause you to suffer mood swings and depression.

    Seasonal Affective Disorder

    • Not all effects of DST are bad. Those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder -- meaning they have symptoms of depression in the darker seasons of fall and winter -- are helped by the extra hour of daylight. Having more exposure to sunlight helps ease the symptoms of depression until they are no longer evident.

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