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A northeast Oklahoma lawmaker wants the state to make daylight saving time permanent

Wikipedia

In two weeks, daylight saving time ends, but an Oklahoma lawmaker wants it to be the last time the state changes its clocks by an hour.

Sen. Blake Stephens (R-Tahlequah) wants to make daylight saving time permanent. That would do away with biannual clock changes and allow for more daylight hours between November and March.

Doing so would help the nearly two-thirds of Oklahoma farmers and ranchers who earn most of their income at a day job then come home to tend to animals and crops, said American Farmers and Ranchers President Scott Blubaugh.

"We’re either breaking ice or feeding hay in the winter, either by headlamp or pickup headlight, one or the other. So, essentially, we’re working a second job in the darkness," Blubaugh said.

Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Deputy Commissioner JanLee Rowlett agreed permanent daylight saving time would benefit farmers, but acknowledged the only neighboring state that's committed to making it permanent is Arkansas.

"So, it would certainly be beneficial if we all made this jump and this change at the same time, but definitely would be a challenge if we were an hour off, especially from our surrounding states knowing that Oklahoma producers work very closely and very regularly with producers from all the states around us," Rowlett said.

Blubaugh said toiling in the dark can also add to the existing strain on farmers’ and ranchers’ mental health. Susan Donnelly with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services said it’s the same case for anyone who spends months leaving work after dark, missing out on sunshine that helps their bodies make Vitamin D.

"We have suppressed melatonin production. We also have a drop in serotonin. All of these things are not great for our health or our mental health. So, that would lead to sleep disruption, sleep loss, digestive issues, obesity, weight gain, and last but not least, anxiety and depression," Donnelly said.

Oklahoma State Department of Health Lead Wellness Coordinator Lauran Larson agreed that clock changes can have broad health implications. Springing forward or falling back and hour can throw off our circadian rhythms, causing sleep disruptions and increased appetite for less-healthy foods later at night.

"Increased calorie intake, as we know, can lead to weight gain, and late-night eating specifically is associated with greater fat buildup, ultimately contributing to obesity risk," Larson said.

Studies have also shown increased heart attack risk and an increase in suicides the week before and after clock changes.

States, however, cannot make daylight savings time permanent without a change in federal law. Oklahoma U.S. Sen. James Lankford is part of a bipartisan group that’s introduced the legislation for it.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.
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