Perhaps the time has come to stop changing clocks twice a year. And though some opponents might say to get rid of Daylight Savings Time, we urge people to have Daylight Savings Time all year.

After all, the only months anymore when Daylight Savings Time are not in effect are November, December, January and February. The other eight months we pretty much spend on Daylight Savings Time. This year, we will have it from March 9 to Nov. 2.

The best part of Daylight Savings Time is it gives people time in the evenings with additional sunlight, giving them the opportunity to be outside after a typical 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday. This encourages healthy lifestyles, such as joggers circling the lake and golfers hitting the courses. Chefs have more time to monitor grills. Football practices at high schools avoid darkness in October. Track and field practices get extra light in March. And pretty much everyone likes basking in sunshine on their decks, patios and driveways.

But the chief reason for changing clocks has been to save energy. The sooner the sun sets, the more power is consumed on lighting and electronics, the theory goes. Studies on energy savings, however, are conflicting.

What’s more, changing the clocks requires people to make sudden and sometime difficult shifts in their internal clocks. Studies show this affects sleeping patterns and even the rates of heart attacks and suicides.

We aren’t the first to bring this up. Alabama state Rep. Greg Wren, a Republican from Montgomery, floated a bill that would keep Alabama on Daylight Savings Time year-round.

“People are tired of springing forward and falling back,” he told the Montgomery Advertiser.

He’s right.

It’s questionable whether shifting clocks makes America more productive or less productive. It’s questionable whether it saves energy or costs energy. What’s roundly known is that Americans like having sunlight in the evenings. And what’s known is people are weary of changing the clocks.

During the months of standard time, many people go to work in darkness and return home to darkness after spending the day inside a building. The hours of daylight are lost. Making those four months like the other eight months could provide some sunlight at the end of the day, especially in December. A sun setting at 6 p.m. instead of 5 o’clock could make a strong difference for some folks who suffer seasonal affective disorder from a lack of sunlight. And additional light in the winter months could allow people more time for winter activities such as ice fishing, sledding or snowmobiling. And who doesn’t want additional sunlight to see the wintry roads on drives after work to places like Minneapolis and Rochester?

Making Daylight Savings Time year-round is an issue worth exploring. Look for the idea to gain momentum in the coming decade.