Is Daylight Saving Time a Conspiracy to Get You to Spend More Money?

At 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, an hour of time will disappear in most of the country. Daylight saving time will kick in, and when the clock hits 2 a.m. it'll instantly be 3 a.m. instead.

The sudden change can have some strange effects. In Ohio, for instance, bars have been ordered to close 30 minutes earlier than usual in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Normally, establishments authorized to sell alcohol in the state have last call at 2:30 a.m., but because of the time shift, there is no 2:30 a.m. that night, and bars therefore must simply shut down at 2.

In Washington, D.C., meanwhile, the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration has announced that bars and nightclubs will "automatically gain an additional hour to sell and serve alcoholic beverages between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, March 8." In previous years, D.C. bars had to apply for permission and pay $200 to stay open an "extra" hour when daylight saving time kicked in.

Beyond the quirks, the impact of daylight saving time might seem to be little more than feeling groggy due to a lost hour of sleep. Researchers have noted other negative effects, however, such as increased heart attacks because people get less sleep when we "spring forward." Likewise, some data suggests that on the Monday after daylight saving time (so, March 9 this year), there are more traffic accidents, again because people aren't as well rested and have slower reaction times than usual.

Daylight saving time also has a big impact on the economy. When days are longer—or rather, when they seem longer due to extended daylight—people tend to spend more money on everything from tourism and recreation to shopping and restaurants.

The golf industry, which has suffered from declining popularity for years, is "the most important reason we're still doing and expanding the period of daylight saving time," Michael Downing, a Tufts University professor and author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time, explained on public radio a year ago. Downing also said that one of the original arguments for daylight saving time—it would save energy and money—is just plain false today:

We're told we're saving energy, but when Americans go outside and go to the park and go to the mall, we don't walk—we get in our cars and drive. So for the past 100 years, the dirty secret is daylight saving increases gasoline consumption.

In any event, try to catch up on sleep as soon as you can after daylight saving time takes effect. And by all means take advantage of the opportunities that this period's "longer" days provide. Just understand that you're paying for it.