STORY BY MATTHEW DENICOLA, STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY MATTHEW DENICOLA, STAFF WRITER
With daylight savings time just around the corner, everyone will lose an hour of sleep but regain the hour in the day. For students at Cypress College, the adjustment can disrupt routines, and sleep schedules, and can cause mental health-related issues.
Practiced in the United States, except for Arizona and Hawaii, all clocks are set back one hour ahead from Mar. 10 until November 3.
The time change affects students’ sleep schedules causing them to wake up an hour later. The abrupt shift disrupts circadian rhythms, leading to fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and increased stress, hindering academic performance and exacerbating existing mental health issues among students according to the National Institute of General Medical Science.
Film major Joshua Miller said, “I feel like daylight saving is good for the environment. When you really think about it, it also helps crops to grow,” he continued, “…but I need to get used to it as well. It doesn’t affect my mental health because I have already gotten used to it many times, but I do believe it affects other students because they are not accustomed to the time changes.”
Most students are concerned that the new time switch will leave them feeling exhausted attending classes because their sleep patterns will not be the same as during the previous daylight saving time last year.
Biology major Jimmy Vo said, “Sometimes, when it’s time to transition to daylight saving, it does affect my sleep schedule, making it harder.”
The adjustment from a previous routine is difficult for students as sticking to it is already a large task, “Sometimes I’m not good at adjusting to the light and dark during the day,” said Vo.
As students reflect on the challenges of adapting to shifting daylight patterns, they express concern about how such disruptions can impact their overall well-being and mental health.
Vo also stated, “It does affect my mental health. When it gets darker, I feel like it’s harder to do anything else at night and I can’t leave the house. It makes it a lot more difficult to play basketball at the park with my friends.”
Although they don’t mind the time shift or getting less sleep, some students find daylight saving time to be an inconvenience.
Automotive Technology major Daniel Calvillo said, “I feel like it’s annoying and it doesn’t affect me too much; it’s just something that’s there. It does not affect my mental health because I go day by day and stick to the same routine.”
It appears that some students have trouble adjusting to the daylight, while others simply want to see the environment flourish.