Daylight saving time ends in a week: prepare to go back

Fall is here and it’s almost time to change any of the clocks that don’t adjust automatically. Two days after Halloween, most of the United States will turn the clocks back one hour. Daylight saving time ends on November 2 and the time officially changes at 2 a.m.

Jet lag is known to disrupt sleep patterns and schedules. Some politicians are pushing for abolish time changes and stay in daylight saving time, or DST, forever. If you also don’t like how early it gets dark every day, remember that brighter nights will return after four months.

When does daylight saving time end?

Daylight saving time in the US ends at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 2. It will return at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 8. The end of daylight saving time has the motto “go back,” while in March we will “move forward.”

The United States is not the only country that observes daylight saving time. Look at this list of other countries that use daylight saving time, along with their start and end dates.

Daylight saving time versus standard time

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The exact start dates for daylight saving time and standard time vary slightly. Daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November with the return of standard time.

We spend about eight months of the year in daylight saving time. We can thank the Uniform Time Act of 1966 for bringing some order to what had been a complicated history of time changes in the United States.

“Motivated by improvements in transportation, this law mandated standard time within existing time zones and established a permanent system of uniform daylight saving time, including dates and times for twice-yearly transitions,” the Bureau of Transportation Statistics said in a statement. History of time zones.

The country’s time zones date back to the railroad boom of the late 19th century. Daylight saving time formally entered the chat in 1918, but its application was inconsistent until 1966. The country tried a year-round schedule. summer time in January 1974 under President Richard Nixon as a way to address the energy crisis. It didn’t go well. Congress and President Gerald Ford restored standard time in October 1974.

If you really hate time changes, consider moving to Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) or Hawaii. Those states are on standard time year-round and do not have to deal with the physical and mental health impacts of the change. Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands also skip daylight saving time.

Read more: Why is NASA working on a time zone for the Moon?

Sleep experts seek a standard schedule throughout the year

Organizations like the National Sleep FoundationThe American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Society for Biological Rhythms Research are united in calling for a permanent time standard, saying it is better for human biology.

“There is a mismatch between the outside world and our internal clocks during daylight saving time that can have negative health consequences,” says Joseph Dzierzewski, senior vice president of research and scientific affairs at the National Sleep Foundation.

Dzierzewski cites mental health problems and increases in cardiovascular events and drowsy driving. It also highlights safety issues with young children walking to school or sitting at bus stops in the dark. Those safety problems were one of the main reasons why permanent daylight saving time did not last in 1974.

Will we abandon these time changes forever?

Time changes are not popular. An October 2024 YouGov survey (PDF link) of more than 1,100 American adults found that 63% would like to see the time change eliminated. Only 17% wanted to keep the time changes and 20% were unsure.

Efforts to end time changes have not become law. The bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, which would have made daylight saving time permanent, passed the Senate in 2022, but did not go further. The bill’s co-sponsors continue to push for it.

“It’s not just a hassle: Changing our clocks also has a very real impact on our economy, our health and our happiness,” said Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts in a renewed call for approval of the bill in 2024.

While many people agree to eliminate time changes, the schism between daylight saving time and standard time persists. Standard time may have a little image problem compared to daylight saving time.

“Part of the problem is that people associate daylight saving time with summer. People love summer, right?” Dzierzewski said. “But the simple fact of the matter is that it would still be summer if we were on permanent standard time.”

President Donald Trump criticized time changes in 2024 Social Truth Posting: “The Republican Party will do everything it can to eliminate daylight saving time, which has a small but strong constituency, but it shouldn’t! Daylight saving time is inconvenient and very costly to our nation.”

State-level bills and resolutions have yet to have real-world impacts. Politicians are still divided over whether they want permanent daylight saving time or standard time. Dzierzewski is hopeful that permanent standard time will prevail. “This is the first time in several years that I have seen more legislation introduced at the state level in support of permanent standard time as a solution,” he said.

If you want the time changes to end and want to advocate for daylight saving time or standard time, contact your state and national representatives and have your say.

Adjust your biological clock to daylight saving time

Daylight saving time is underway, so now it’s a matter of figuring out how to deal with it. It’s not just about the day of the time change.

“You’re in a better position to deal with the effects of time change if you have good overall sleep health,” Dzierzewski said. He recommends exposure to bright light in the morning, physical activity during the day, eating at regular times, and practicing a relaxing routine to unwind at night.

Most Americans struggle to get the 7 to 9 hours of sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation for most adults. A CNET survey found that more than half of American adults use some method to cope with sleep-related challenges. Check out some expert-backed tips to improve your sleep quality.

“If you adopt these healthy sleep behaviors, you’ll probably be more resistant to some of these changes,” Dzierzewski said. “If you sleep poorly to begin with, you’ll probably feel it a little more.”

Establishing a better sleep routine can take time. There are two things you can do in direct response to the time change. Dzierzewski suggests gradually adjusting your bedtime and wake-up time before the change. For example, you can change your schedule by 15 minutes per day and adapt to daylight saving time. She also recommends getting a good dose of bright light in the morning on the day of the time change to help set your internal biological clock.

Think of daylight saving time as another kind of wake-up call, one that can motivate you to evaluate your sleep routine and quality and make positive changes. Start with these six simple habits. And don’t forget to change your clocks. Do it the night before and you won’t have to worry about it later.