Thing Learned: 1.0

Changing the clock is not be most important thing to do. The most important thing to do is to check the batteries on your smoke alarms (and have working smoke alarms).

Here are links to Amazon’s top-rated, five-star smoke alarms

Here are a link to Amazon five-star batteries: The first battery is Amazon’s five star, top rated industrial strength lithium battery – Energizer LA522 9V Industrial Lithium. The second smoke detector battery are links to other Amazon five-star 9v batteries.

Thing Learned: 2.0

I have said, enunciated and misspoken quite a number of words incorrectly over time – still do. I had a girlfriend once (if you can believe that). We were in class and I said something like, “Irregardless of your argument, that isn’t correct.” She immediately replied, “Here is why it will work – you don’t even know that irregardless ^1*Irregardless isn’t a word.” Hmm. I felt like a bit of such a moron.

Savings vs Saving (Don’t Be A Moron Like Me)

Hmm, it seems I have been quite the moron for a long, long time. In the same way, my ‘irredgardless’ learning lesson has scarred me forever, I am also shamed when it comes to my usage of the plural version ‘Daylight Savings Time’ vs. the correct singular version ‘Daylight Saving Time’ ^2*Daylight Saving Time

Umm, just so you know, this post is the category ‘Things I Shouldn’t Have Said.’

Well, irregardlessly, you can follow Things Learned at Facebook.

A ‘kind’ Facebook reader just pointed out yet another adventure in moron-hood – the clock arrow is pointing the wrong way (for ‘fall behind’) – but I will be correct come ‘spring ahead.’

Allow Me To Conversate ^3*Conversate With You: Other Ironical Words I Have Uttered, Supposably ^4*Supposably Incorrectly: Let’s Start With ‘Daylight Savings Time’ (OK, OK, I Know, I Know – You Get The Misues)

Well, let me try a different tact ^5*Different Tact after a lifetime of saying ‘daylight savings time,’ I get corrected once more (obviously not the first time, and surely not the last) when I found out that it really is ‘daylight saving time.’ What’s an ‘s’ between friends?

Bonus Daylight Saving Time Tip 

Change your smoke detector batteries.

Just What Is Daylight Saving Time?

“Daylight Savings Time” is very commonly used, especially in Australia, Canada, and the United States. It’s likely that the incorrect term “savings” entered is popular vocabulary because it’s so often used in everyday contexts, like “savings account.”

Fewer and fewer of us think it’s worth the trouble: A 2014 Rasmussen poll found that a declining percentage of adults in the United States — 33% — think daylight saving time is “worth the hassle.” That’s down from 37% in 2013 and 45% the year before.

Daylight Saving Time Explained (36.6M views with 34,000+ thumbs up)

“An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later.” Winston Churchill ^6*Winston Churchill

Spring Forward / Fall Back

At the beginning of the DST period in the spring, clocks are moved forward, usually by one hour. When DST ends in fall (autumn), clocks are turned back again. DST does not add daylight, but it gives more usable hours of daylight. In that sense, DST “saves” daylight, especially during early spring. Standard time refers to time without DST.

So, what time is it ^7*What Time Is It? right now?

How To Wake Up... (works only for the morning, not for life)

There are a few products that ‘gently’ wake you up (unlike those early mornings when my wife confirms to me that she enjoyed a ‘Muy Caliente’ chile rellano the previous night).  Here are several ‘natural light wake-up’ devices. First, two alarms.

Philips Wake-Up Light with Sunrise Simulation and Radio, White, HF3505

Philips HF3520 Wake-Up Light With Colored Sunrise Simulation 

This is Amazon’s best-seller (especially for those dark Puget Sound winters as I read the morning news via my tablet).

NatureBright SunTouch Plus Light and Ion Therapy Lamp

The Case For Getting Rid Of Daylight Saving Time

“You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight saving time.”  Dave Barry ^8*Dave Barry

The Department of Energy ^9*Energy.gov found that Daylight Saving Time saved 0.5% of the nation’s electricity consumption for each day it was extended – when the policy changed in 2007.

“The total electricity savings of Extended Daylight Saving Time were about 1.3 Tera Watt-hour (TWh). This corresponds to 0.5 percent per each day of Extended Daylight Saving Time, or 0.03 percent of electricity consumption over the year. In reference, the total 2007 electricity consumption in the United States was 3,900 TWh. The overall energy savings from extending by a few weeks was found to be 0.02% of yearly consumption, or about 0.35% a day.”

CNN reports, ‘Transitioning from daylight saving time could increase depression,’ ^10*Transitioning from daylight saving time could increase depression Their report states, “Depression cases at psychiatric hospitals in Denmark increased immediately after the transition from daylight saving time, the study says. An analysis of 185,419 severe depression diagnoses from 1995 to 2012 showed an 11% increase during this time period. The cases dissipated gradually after 10 weeks. Researchers from the departments of psychiatry and political science at the universities of Aarhus, Copenhagen and Stanford were well aware of the negative effects associated with daylight saving time, such as the increased heart attacks and stroke risk.”

The Harvard Health Letter from Harvard Medical school reports, ‘Daylight Saving Time “fall back” doesn’t equal sleep gain’ ^11*Daylight Saving Time “fall back” doesn’t equal sleep gain Their report states, “Research teams around the world have tried to determine if losing or gaining an hour of sleep because of Daylight Saving Time make a difference in health. Michigan researchers, writing in the American Journal of Cardiology ^12*American Journal of Cardiology – heart attacks and daylight saving time , showed a small increase in heart attacks on the first day (Sunday) of the spring transition to Daylight Saving Time, when we “lose” an hour of sleep. This echoed a Swedish study published in the New England Journal of Medicine ^13*NEJM – heart attacks increase with daylight saving time showing a small increase in heart attacks after the start of Daylight Saving Time and a small decrease at its end.”

As if that isn’t enough the New England Journal of Medicine ^14*NEJM – Daylight Savings Time and Traffic Accidents also reports that groggy drivers make the roads more dangerous on the Monday following the time change and, “It has become increasingly clear that insufficient sleep and disrupted circadian rhythms are a major public health problem. For instance, in 1988 the cost of sleep-related accidents ^15*Leger D. The cost of sleep-related accidents: a report for the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research. Sleep 1994;17:84-93 Web of Science exceeded $56 billion and included 24,318 deaths and 2,474,430 disabling injuries. Major disasters, including the nuclear accident at Chernobyl, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger, have been linked to insufficient sleep ^16*Mitler MM, Carskadon MA, Czeisler CA, Dement WC, Dinges DF, Graeber RC. Catastrophes, sleep, and public policy: consensus report. Sleep 1988;11:100-109 Web of Science , disrupted circadian rhythms, or both on the part of involved supervisors and staff. It has been suggested that as a society we are chronically sleep-deprived and that small additional losses of sleep may have consequences for public and individual safety.”

It gets worse… The Journal of Applied Psychology ^17*The Journal of Applied Psychology states that workplace injuries also jump after a Daylight Saving Time change.

Daylight Saving Time – A Few Fun Facts ^18*Daylight Saving Time – A Few Facts

Daylight Saving Time -Historical Timeline

• 1784 – The idea of daylight saving is first conceived by Benjamin Franklin.
• 1914-1918 – Britain goes on DLS during World War I.
• March 19, 1918 – The Standard Time Act establishes time zones and daylight saving. Daylight saving is repealed in 1919, but continues to be recognized in certain areas of the United States.
  1945-1966 – There is no federal law regarding Daylight Saving Time.
• 1966 – The Uniform Time Act of 1966 establishes the system of uniform Daylight Saving Time throughout the United States. The dates are the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. States can exempt themselves from participation.
• 1974-1975 – Congress extends DLS in order to save energy during the energy crisis.
• 1986-2006 – Daylight Saving Time begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.
• August 8, 2005 – President George W. Bush signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law. Part of the act will extend Daylight Saving Time starting in 2007, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
• 2007 – Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time starts in the United States on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. Under the new laws, all of Indiana now observes Daylight Saving Time, where only certain areas of the state did before.

Exceptions in the United States And Around The World

• In the United States, Hawaii and most of Arizona do not follow DLS.
• The US territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and American Samoa also do not observe DLS.
• About 70 countries around the world observe DLS.
• Many countries near the equator do not adjust their clocks for daylight saving.
• Neither China nor Japan observe DLS.
• Some countries refer to “Daylight Saving Time” as “Summer Time.”

How To Cope With Jet Lag (Could This Apply To Daily Saving Time Lag Too?)

“Time is a great healer, but a poor beautician.“ Lucille S. Harper

These 11 Tips for Dealing With Jet Lag ^19*Jet Lag Tips come from WebMD

1. Simulate your new schedule before you leave. If you’re traveling east, start moving your bedtime earlier. If you’re traveling west, do the opposite.
2. Adapt to your new schedule while in flight. Change your watch before you depart.
3. Arrive early. If you need to be on top of your game for an event at your destination, try to arrive a few days early, so your mind and body can adjust.
4. Stay hydrated. Drink water before, during, and after your flight to counteract dehydration. Avoid alcohol or caffeine a few hours before you plan to sleep.
5. Move around. Get up and walk around periodically, do some static exercises, and stretch on the flight. But after you land, avoid heavy exercise near bedtime, as it can delay sleep.
6. Consider melatonin. Melatonin naturally secreted in our bodies helps regulate our circadian rhythms so that we sleep at night. Some research shows that it can reduce jet lag on flights both east and west, but other research has not shown a benefit.
7. Try natural light therapy. Exposure to sunlight helps regulate our circadian rhythms. On westward flights, get bright morning light at your new destination, and avoid afternoon and evening light exposure. On eastward flights, avoid early light exposure in morning and get as much light as possible in the afternoon and early evening.
8. Eat sensibly. Some frequent fliers swear by jet lag diets — such as eating a heavy diet for a few days before travel and fasting on flight day. No diets have been proven effective for preventing jet lag, however.
9. Take a hot bath before bedtime. A bath can ease sore muscles from travel and help you relax and wind down. The drop in your body temperature when you get out of a bath may also make you sleepy.
10. Minimize sleep distractions. An eye mask or earplugs may help you sleep on the plane and at your destination. Try to eliminate distractions in your room at bedtime, such as light shining in through a window.
11. Consider medication. It’s usually not necessary to get treatment for jet lag, but if these strategies don’t work for you, your doctor may prescribe or suggest medications to take temporarily to help you sleep or stay alert when necessary.

Bonus Daylight Saving Time Comedy Videos

Daylight Saving Time – How Is This Still A Thing? – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

The Struggle of Daylight Savings Time – Ellen Degeneres – TheEllenShow

Daylight Saving Time Strikes Again – The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The History of Daylight Saving Time – BBC iWonder – Stephen Fry

Bonus Daylight Saving Time Musical Videos

Chicago – Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

The Chambers Brothers – Time Has Come Today

Jim Croce – Time In A Bottle

Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes – Dirty Dancing – Time of my Life