DENVER, Colo. — What's the point of Daylight Saving Time?
Almost all 50 states turn the clocks ahead one hour in the spring, except Arizona and Hawaii. But, it seems the purpose behind the time change is history.
The Monday after clocks 'spring forward' is notoriously known for its slow start.
"The people that did come in seemed really tired," said Priscilla Paxton, a barista at Stella's Coffee House in Denver. "Everyone said, 'Oh, I wish I had four of those coffees,' or, 'Oh, it was really hard to wake up today.'"
Customer Randy Washington doesn't see the point of changing the clocks. He says it just makes everyone late, including the guest he was meeting at Stella's.
"Of course," said Washington when asked if he’ll be forgiving of daylight savings time. "Because of this horribly antiquated system we've been using way too long, of course. I have to be."
Even an economics professor says the reasoning for DST is unclear, citing the original intent was to save money during war time.
"It became important around World War I," said Nicolas Cachanosky, Assistant Professor of Economics at Metropolitan State University Denver. "The main reason was to save energy — coal, gas, oil — during that time, it wasn't easy to switch lights on and off like we do today."
Cachanosky says it's not clear if the hour of electricity is saving money anymore.
In fact, most people are spending more on that morning coffee.
"An extra cup of coffee," laughed Cachanosky, explaining how he prepared for the time change. "Two instead of one!"
Daylight saving time can also throw off our internal clock. A new study from the American Academy of Neurology shows the change may be associated with higher risk of blood clots in the brain. Researchers found people older than 65 were 20 percent more likely to have a stroke.
