There are more options when it comes to Daylight Savings Time than you think.

the United States could soon live with summer time year-round if the Senate has way.

Are there any downsides to this plan? Yes, say the sleep experts. But the alternative also has disadvantages.

Here is the breakdown of in options and what they can do to change your daily life:

What if we always had daylight saving time?

First, the word on nomenclature: Standard time is observed by most of United States in winter months. Summer time is one were in after we move clock forward every spring.

The Senate recently voted to make daylight saving time permanent. more sunlight in afternoon. But without going to standard time in winter, people in many northern regions of the country will wake up up until dark at 8 am or later.

“Many of people I prefer to have this daylight at the end of day insteadPhilip Herman said professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry at university of Pennsylvania. But it gets dark in the morning.

There are similar debates playing out in Europe. In 2019 MPs in The European Union has voted to end seasonal time changes and instead allow every country in block to choose whether it will follow summer time in everything year or support standard time. But countries disagree over what time to take, and the pandemic has stalled that debate.

Supporters of summer time, including retailers and many outdoor businesses say the extra daylight will lift sales just as consumers would. more time spend them money after work or school.

Critics, however, say it will disrupt people’s circadian rhythm, which is closely linked to sunlight, causing in more people feeling tired and more dangerous trips in darker morning.

What if we never had DST at all?

This is what the American Academy of Sleep Medicine wants: standard time throughout the year which would mean brighter mornings and darker evenings.

“Change to permanent standard time is best aligned with human circadian biology and may have beneficial effects for public health and safety,” They said in 2020.

Arizona and Hawaii already do this. When the rest of the country moves for summer time every spring residents in these two states are essentially out of synchronize with rest of the country.

“It’s a relief not to think about losing or gaining this hour,” said Denise Rodriguez Esquivel, assistant professor of psychiatry at university of Arizona who specializes in treatment of insomnia and circadian rhythm disturbances. She said the people of Arizona weren’t too interested on expansion flaming hot weather in the evening.

Sometimes she has to figure out what time it is for friends or family in other states. “It takes getting used to,” she said. “But other than that, it’s just great”.

Sleep Experts who advocate constant standard time claim it will improve sleep and alertness during the day. Circadian disruptions, they say, can result in higher risks of some serious diseases, including obesity, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, depression, and even cancer.

We’ve tried this before.

In 1974 the US experimented with keeping daylight saving time all year in attempt reduce country’s energy consumption.

David Prero, author of “Catch the Daylight: A Curious and Controversial Story of Switching to daylight saving time, ”said many people quickly realized that they don’t like getting up walking and driving in cold dark morning. The New York Times announced winter of 1974 as the “Second Dark Age”.

“People absolutely hated it,” Mr. Prero said. “He became unpopular very quickly.”

A law signed by President Richard Nixon allowed for experiment last two years. But because of public response, the Senate and House of Representatives voted to end it. year early.

A similar experiment was carried out in the USA. one in UK, which set his watch is constantly forward in 1968. Many people, especially farmers who woke up in darkness, I hate it. In 1970, at a heated parliamentary debate, legislators expressed their voters’ dissatisfaction over darkest morning. “Let us get rid of of it,” said Michael Jopling. conservative member in House of Lords. “Cows — and other livestock — hate change,” said John Mackie, a legislator who sympathizes with farmers. who we concerned over in decrease in milk.

BUT year later the clocks were turned back and twice the annual cycle resumed.

Then why try again?

Possibly disputes, obsessions and even pain over national timing best captured in this scene is from an HBO comedy series “Vip”.

Some expect history repeat if daylight saving time made permanent once more. But Steve P. Calandrillo, professor of law and public policy topics at the university of Washington, including daylight saving time, said it still worth retry.

If the effects were decrease in fatal accidents and crime And in increase in consumer spending, “then I hope chance,” is he added.

These are the only options?

current system is essentially a compromise. And there are alternatives that cut the time changes in increments other than an hour, although neither is particularly great.

“I personally believe that eight months of summer time and four months of standard time is an excellent compromise between the two alternatives and gives us Sort of in best of both,” Mr. Prero said.

Meeting in middle and clock setting back or forward 30 minutes not solve “Nothing either,” said Mr. Herman.

“30 minutes will minimize the consequences,” he said. “But then you do something real difference or does it become meaningless at this point?”

Well we could drop entire time zones.

Two Johns Hopkins University professors, Steve H. Hanke, professor of applied economics and Richard Conn Henry, professor of physics and astronomy have given their name to an alternative that eliminates time zones entirely. Hanke-Henry permanent calendar system time around world will be tracked under universal standard, just like pilots currently use UTC to avoid time shift failures in air.

In 2013, writer Allison Schrager proposed in article in Atlantic, which is the continental United States should have just two time zones, making the east and west coasts one hour apart.

“Any who life on one coast and does business with another can imagine incalculable benefits of a life in nation with two time zones (excluding Alaska and Hawaii),” she wrote.

In China, the entire nation uses Beijing time. What if the United States, whose eastern and western borders are about 400 miles closer than China’s, did the same?

“It’s really bad idea,” Mr. German said. “The people I know in China who live further west they just hate it.”

People on west side of China is essentially four by five hours out of synchronize with rest of country, as a result in unpleasant awakening hours he said.

” main The thing is, he said, we need to pick one and stick with This.”