This next Sunday we spring forward into more daylight at the end of our daily timetable. John 9:4 tells us” I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” While there are many who work night shifts and very few of us go to bed and get up with the chickens, this is contrary to our natural circadian rhythms which are a body clock that promote sleep in the dark and wakefulness in daylight hours. The purpose of this is to prepare us for expected changes in the environment such as the time to eat, work, and sleep.
If a person is self-employed, works at home, or is retired, there is the flexibility to live within the framework of natural circadian rhythms. But for others, the clock at school and work does not change. Perhaps our lawmakers have a good idea in letting us stay on daylight savings time when we get there this year. That may save so much driving in the dark around Christmas.
To go back to John 9:4, I find that I do get more done in the daylight whether I am working inside or outside, rain or shine. The daylight savings time does seem to give me more time to be productive because it seems to align my clock on the wall with the clock in the sky better. This also seems to give me more rest time as I find myself slowing down and going to bed earlier when it gets dark earlier. With daylight saving time, I still tend to get up with the sun, whenever that is, but the productivity seems better – perhaps because more sunshine time means more energy time.
Benjamin Franklin said “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” It might be better said that living with our natural time rhythm is what does that.
