As the second Sunday of March approaches, all clocks will skip ahead, stealing an hour of our sleep.
While this can be an exciting time as we will soon feel the warm sunlight at 7 p.m. again, it can be a tough adjustment. Though it only is one hour we lose, that hour can significantly impact our schedules if we aren’t prepared.
What is Daylight Saving Time?
Daylight saving time (DST) starts the second Sunday in March of every year. Our clocks jump an hour, or “spring forward,” from standard time during the spring/summer months.
The decision to skip an hour began in 1916 in Germany during World War I. This tactic was used as an energy saving measure. By 1918, the United States had also adopted to the use of DST as a way to measure wartime.
Though you may have plentiful experience with DST, good or bad, not all U.S. states participate in such a shift. Arizona and Hawaii do not follow this change of time.
Because of Arizona’s hot climate, the state decided not to follow. In the summer, Arizona’s sun rises around 5:15 a.m. and sets around 8 p.m. Adding an additional hour would mean residents in the state would still experience sunlight at 9 p.m. Not all Arizona residents follow. The Navajo Nation stays on the same clock schedule as its fellow members in New Mexico and Utah.
Hawaii doesn’t follow the clock change due to its location of being so close to the equator. Being so close means that both sunrise and sunset happens around the same time each day, giving Hawaii about 11 to 13.5 hours of daylight all year. Hawaii Standard Time allows its residents to follow the flow and time of the sun.
How to Prepare and Adjust
To some, an hour may seem like just an hour, but losing crucial time can disrupt our daily schedules the day of and potentially domino into the rest of the week. Try some of these adjustments to prepare your body and mind before the clocks turn.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Begin preparing for this change a couple of days before it hits. With the days leading up, adjust your bedtime to 15-20 minutes earlier. For daily activities such as when you eat your meals, go to the gym, or complete work, adjust those to an earlier time as well. Doing so will unconsciously put your mind into an earlier routine, perfectly prepared for when the time comes to our lost hour.
Get At Least Seven Hours of Sleep
Make sure you’re also getting enough sleep. Although everyone’s body is different, it is ideal for us to get at least seven hours of nighttime rest. Keeping a constant sleep schedule can make it easier for your body to adjust to the change. Some may not even notice the hour lost.
Fight the Evil Forces of Naps
It can be difficult to fight the urge to nap during the day, especially if you’re up early and constantly moving. While it is ideal not to let that desire win, it may not be possible for everyone. If you feel the absolute need to nap, try to stay within 20 to 40 minutes. It may not seem like a lot of time, but that short nap can keep you moving during the day and still allow your body to be tired once it’s time to hit the hay.
Curate a Personal Bedtime Routine
If you’re struggling to fall asleep at an earlier time, consider incorporating small, daily nighttime routines to put your body to rest. This could be going on a short walk, doing a quick yoga workout, and cutting electronics before bed.
Start the Morning Right
Ensure you’re feeding your body the nutrients it needs. Not all vitamins and supplements are sourced from foods, as Vitamin D can be absorbed from a short stroll under the sun. Taking forms of Vitamin B in the morning, which is obtained from leafy greens, yogurt, eggs, cereals, oats, and other breakfast foods will keep you awake and energized throughout the day.
Long-Term Health Effects of Losing an Hour
One of the most obvious effects our bodies feel when we don’t get enough sleep is grogginess. We have all experienced a time when we’ve gone to bed much later than we should’ve, knowing we had to be up early the next morning. From spending hours doom scrolling on TikTok to having deep, midnight conversations with friends, going to sleep too late will affect how we perform throughout the next day, and can possibly lead to sleep deprivation.
As referenced on Northwestern Medicine, DST can have long-term health effects. This includes depression, weight gain, slowed metabolism, and cluster headaches; a severe pain that occurs around or in our eyes on one side of our head.
While our bodies shift to daylight saving time, typically during the week after, it can cause an increased risk to more serious health issues; both mental and physical.
The risks of cardiovascular disease, strokes, and digestive/immune related diseases spike up. The rate of car accidents tends to increase during this adjustment as well. Some incidents are severe crashes, while others are just minor bumps.
Even losing just an hour of sleep can negatively affect our mood for the day. Our ability to focus, learn, and even how we behave can drastically shift if we don’t properly prepare for the time we are to lose.
The Controversy of DST
Everyone has their opinions about daylight saving time, but most argue that it is not needed. Not only does this time of year increase mental and physical health risks, but is also using more energy. As the sun shines bright for an extra hour every day, this means the weather will become much hotter. Hotter weather equals more use of air conditioning and other sources to keep cool, initially eating up more energy consumption.
Daylight saving time is an exciting time for certain people. While some cannot wait to see the sun shine bright as the days get later, others are dreading the soon-to-come day where we are robbed of our precious hour of sleep.
Even pets feel the effects of DST. When it comes to feeding time, many are confused as to where their big ol’ bowl of food has gone. Prepare for lots of cries and whines from your furry friends, too.
Don’t forget to set clocks that don’t automatically change, sleep a little earlier, and take a walk under the sun the morning the day comes.
This hour taken away from us won’t last forever. If you’re already counting down the days till we get that extra hour back, mark your calendar for November 1, 2026, for it will return before you know it.
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