Transition to winter time: historical causes and health effects

On the night from 5 to 6 in November, the United States once again turned the hands an hour back and switched to winter time.

This practice has existed in the States for almost 100 years - since 1918, but the idea was invented at the end of the XNUMXth century.

If we speak “astronomically”, then winter time, which the United States switched to last night, is standard time. But summer time, the transition to which takes place in the spring, was invented several times, starting in 1784, so that people could work longer without spending expensive candles on lighting, writes “New time".

Time and franklin

The idea of ​​switching to summer time was first voiced by an American politician and scholar Benjamin Franklin during his time as the American ambassador to Paris. (France) in April 1784.

At that time, he was already 78 years old, but he did not lose courage and ingenuity.

Franklin suggested that early awakening will save candles, because people will have time to do more during the daytime, and thus economically justified the expediency of moving hours ahead, as if pushing the time of darkness.

Franklin estimated the economic benefits of his proposal in 96 million livres, and this is only for Paris, suggesting that 100 thousands of Parisian families burn about half a pound of candles per hour during 7 hours per day.

To answer the skeptics' objections, Franklin proposed several unusual rules. Among them were: a tax on blinds, a ban on walking on the streets after dark for everyone except doctors, a limit of one pound of candles per family per week, and the ringing of morning bells and the firing of cannons to “make the townspeople open their eyes and see your true interests."

“The hardest part will be during the first 2-3 days, after which the new regime will be accepted easily and naturally... If you force a person to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning, he is likely to willingly go to bed at 8 o’clock in the evening,” Franklin wrote.

The idea of ​​Franklin was not accepted, although his essay on this topic was reprinted several times, and European scientists continued correspondence with the ambassador for a few years to improve his proposal.

Time and king

They returned to the idea more than a hundred years later. She visited the Briton William Willett in 1905 during a trip - before breakfast, when he saw sleeping London with the sun already rising. Having noticed how many city residents sleep for a significant part of the day, William Willett proposed moving the clocks forward 20 minutes every Sunday in April, and moving the clocks back in September according to the same scheme.

“We wind pocket, table and wall clocks 365 times a year, and the procedure for changing the hands only 8 times a year is no more complicated. But the British will receive 210 “extra” hours of light per year and will save two and a half million pounds sterling on lighting,” Willett wrote.

King Edward VII of England set the clock at Sandringham Palace back 30 minutes so he could hunt longer. True, in order for clocks to be changed not only in the royal chambers, it took more than 10 years of discussions in parliament, disputes with farmers, astronomers, and bankers. Willett agreed to an hour difference instead of 80 minutes and to change the hands twice a year, but did not live to see his idea implemented - he died in 2, and England switched to summer time in 1915, then other countries joined in.

Time and Halloween

In the US, the transition to summer time began during the First World War. But about half a century in different states, it occurred at different times. It was only in 1966 that a federal act was adopted, according to which the clock is transferred to summer time on the last Sunday of April, and back - on the last Sunday of October.

This continued for another 50 years. With the development of road transport, it became clear that on the night before Halloween the statistics of fatal accidents involving children sharply increased - the mortality rate was 4 times higher than on any other night. And in 2006, it was decided to move the clock not in October, but on the first Sunday of November, so that children would have more daylight hours for the traditional collection of candy.

Crimea is highlighted in orange on the map, and the rest of Ukraine is highlighted in blue, because the occupation authorities of Crimea have currently canceled the switch. The map of the United States shows a large orange fragment with small blue dots. This is the state of Arizona, where most of the territory does not change clocks to winter time. And the blue dots are the lands of the Navajo Indians, who change their clocks twice a year along with the rest of the US states.

Impact on health

According to the World Health Organization, up to 45% of people in the fall suffer from insomnia in those countries where seasonal watch transfer is introduced, according to “NEWS".

In addition, after the introduction of the new time on 12%, the number of calls to ambulance services grows.

In addition, due to the translation of the arrows, many people will see even less sun, which is already scarce in the autumn-winter period. And if there is a lack of solar energy, the level of cortisol, the stress hormone, increases in the body.

How to maintain immunity

The immune and nervous systems will experience stress. Their work is interrelated, so it is worth keeping both.

To support immunity, 20 minutes before each meal, eat a little citrus.

In order not to overload the nervous system, postpone the resolution of complex issues, both working and personal, to 2 weeks later.

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