Permanent Daylight Saving Time will hurt our health, experts say ...

Editor’s Note: Sign up for CNN’s Sleep, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide has helpful hints to achieve better sleep.

CNN —

The end of Daylight Saving Time is upon us again, an autumn tradition when the United States, Europe, most of Canada and a number of other countries move their clocks backwards an hour in a sort of Groundhog Day trust fall. We’ll move them forward (again) next spring when governments put daylight saving back in place.

But are we putting our trust in an unhealthy, outdated idea?

Not according to the United States Senate, which in March passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 – if it becomes law, Daylight Saving Time will be permanent.

“The call to end the antiquated practice of clock changing is gaining momentum throughout the nation,” said Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), who first introduced the bill in the US Senate, in a statement. Florida’s legislature voted to make Daylight Saving Time permanent in Florida in 2018, but it can’t go into effect until it is federal law as well.

The bill still has to make its way through the US House of Representatives and be signed into law by the President. If or when that is the case, we’ll move our clocks forward and leave them that way, permanently living one hour ahead of the sun.

However, a growing number of sleep experts say the act of moving our clocks forward in the spring is ruining our health. Studies over the last 25 years have shown the one-hour change disrupts body rhythms tuned to Earth’s rotation, adding fuel to the debate over whether having Daylight Saving Time in any form is a good idea.

“I’m one of the many sleep experts that knows it’s a bad idea,” said Dr. Elizabeth Klerman, a professor of neurology in the division of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School.

“Your body clock stays with (natural) light not with the clock on your wall,” Klerman said. “And there’s no evidence that your body fully shifts to the new time.”

Dr. Phyllis Zee, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Evanston, Illinois, also opposes Daylight Saving Time.

“Between March and November your body gets less morning light and more evening light, which can throw off your circadian rhythm,” she said.

Standard time, which we enter when we move our clocks back in the fall, is much closer to the sun’s day and night cycle, Zee said. This cycle has set our circadian rhythm, or body clock, for centuries.

That internal timer controls not just when you sleep, but also when you want to eat, exercise or work, as well as “your blood pressure, your heart rate and your cortisol rhythm,” Zee added.

Our bodies need the early morning light to set our internal body clock, experts say. Marilyn Nieves/E+/Getty Images

A call to ban Daylight Saving Time for good has come from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine: “Current evidence best supports the adoption of year-round standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology and provides distinct benefits for public health and safety.”

The proposal has been endorsed by more than 20 medical, scientific, and civic organizations, including the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the National Parent Teacher Association, the National Safety Council, the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms and the World Sleep Society.

What’s the harm?

When our internal clocks are offset from the solar day-night cycle by even one hour we develop what sleep experts call “social jet lag.” Studies have shown social jet lag increases the risk of metabolic disorders such as diabetes, raises the risk of heart disease and stroke, worsens mood disorders such as depression, affects the digestive and endocrine systems and shortens our sleep duration. It can even reduce life expectancy,

A 2003 study found getting one hour less sleep for two weeks had the same effect on thinking and motor skills as going without sleep for two full nights. Reducing sleep by 90 minutes from the recommended 7 to 8 hours for adults altered the DNA of immune cells and boosted inflammation, a key cause of chronic disease, according to another study.

Making the time change permanent would make the chronic effects of any sleep loss more severe, not only “because we have to go to work an hour earlier for an additional 5 months every year but also because body clocks are usually later in winter than in summer with reference to the sun clock,” according to a statement from the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms.

“The combination of DST and winter would therefore make the differences between body clocks and the social clock even worse and would negatively affect our health even more,” the authors concluded.

Why did the Senate pass the bill?

There are reasons the US Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act. Proponents say that extra daylight in the evening cuts down on car accidents and crime, and increases opportunities for commerce and recreation, as people prefer to shop and exercise during daylight hours.

However, research has shown both heart attacks and fatal car accidents increase after the clock falls forward in the spring. Children also end up going to school in the morning while it is still dark – with disastrous consequences.

When President Richard Nixon signed a permanent Daylight Saving Time into law in January 1974, it was a popular move. But by the end of the month Florida’s governor had called for the law’s repeal after eight schoolchildren were hit by cars in the dark. Schools across the country delayed start times until the sun came up.

By summer, public approval had plummeted, and in early October Congress voted to switch back to standard time.

A similar backlash occurred when the US first implemented Daylight Saving Time in 1918, as a way to to reduce demand for electricity usage by adding sunlight to the end of the day in response to World War I. (Studies since have found little to no cost savings from the practice.) The time switch was so unpopular that the law was repealed the following year.

“The United States has tried permanent daylight saving time twice before and ended it early. The UK tried once before and ended it early. Russia tried it once, so did India and ended it early,” Klerman said. “I think we should learn from history.”

Daylight Saving Time: What is it, and why do we have it? | CNN

Sign up for CNN’s Sleep, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide has helpful hints to achieve better sleep.

CNN —

It’s almost time for clocks to “spring forward” one hour.

On the second Sunday of March, at 2 a.m., clocks in most of the United States and many other countries move forward one hour and stay there for nearly eight months in what is called Daylight Saving Time. On the first Sunday of November, at 2 a.m., clocks fall back an hour to standard time.

The current March to November system that the US follows began in 2007, but the concept of “saving daylight” is much older. Daylight Saving Time has its roots in train schedules, but it was put into practice in Europe and the United States to save fuel and power during World War I, according to the US Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Pro tip: It’s Daylight Saving Time, with singular use of “saving,” not “savings.”

Reasons for Daylight Saving Time

Don't forget to reset your alarm clock. Jasmin Merdan/Moment RF/Getty Images

The US kept Daylight Saving Time permanent during most of World War II. The idea was put in place to conserve fuel and keep things standard. As the war came to a close in 1945, Gallup asked respondents how we should tell time. Only 17% wanted to keep what was then called “war time” all year.

During the energy crisis of the 1970s, we tried permanent Daylight Saving Time again in the winter of 1973-1974. The idea again was to conserve fuel. It was a popular move at the time when President Richard Nixon signed the law in January 1974. But by the end of the month, Florida’s governor had called for the law’s repeal after eight schoolchildren were hit by cars in the dark. Schools across the country delayed start times until the sun came up.

Daylight savings time ends: 2 men, 2,000 clocks and 48 hours to change them all 03:36 - Source: CNN

By summer, public approval had plummeted, and in early October Congress voted to switch back to standard time.

In the US, states are not required by law to “fall back” or “spring forward.” Hawaii, most of Arizona and some territories in the Pacific and Caribbean do not observe Daylight Saving Time. The twice-yearly switcheroo is irritating enough to lawmakers of all political stripes that the US Senate passed legislation in March 2022 to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. The bill passed by unanimous consent. It would need to pass the House of Representatives and be signed by President Joe Biden to become law.

House lawmakers failed to vote on the bill in 2022. However, on March 2, a dozen senators forming a bipartisan group reintroduced the legislation that would end clock switching in favor of permanent Daylight Saving Time. Companion legislation to the Sunshine Protection Act was introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Republican from Florida, in the House.

Why do we need Daylight Saving Time

Studies over the last 25 years have shown the one-hour change disrupts body rhythms tuned to Earth’s rotation, adding fuel to the debate over whether having Daylight Saving Time in any form is a good idea.

The issue is that for every argument there is a counterargument. There are studies, for example, that show we have more car accidents when people lose an extra hour of sleep. There are also studies that show robberies decline when there is an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day. We also know that people suffer more heart attacks at the start of Daylight Saving Time. But what about our mental health? People seem to be happier when there is an extra hour of daylight.

Of course, there’s the economy, which pays for all that outdoor fun in the sun. Although saving energy was often put out as a reason to have Daylight Saving Time, the energy saved isn’t much — if anything at all.

Instead, the lobbying effort for Daylight Saving Time came mostly from different sectors of the economy. In the mid-20th century, lobby groups for the recreational sports industry (think driving ranges) wanted more customers to come out after a day at the office. It’s easier to do so when there is more light at the end of the day.

But the movie industry didn’t like Daylight Saving Time. You’re less likely to go to a movie when it’s bright outside. Despite the myth, farmers didn’t like it either because it made it difficult to get their food to the market in the morning.

The bottom line: It’s not clear whether having that extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day versus the beginning is helpful. It just depends on who you are and what you want. And it doesn’t look like Daylight Saving Time in the US is going away anytime soon.

Katia Hetter Stephen Mays
Katia Hetter
Stephen Mays

Analysis: Why won't Congress make Daylight Saving Time ...

CNN —

On Sunday morning, we all will begrudgingly turn our clocks back an hour – and in doing so, relegate ourselves to a winter of darkness.

It doesn’t have to be this way!

Back in March, the Senate passed a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, meaning that there would be no reverting back to “standard time” from early November through mid-March.

“You’ll see it’s an eclectic collection of members of the United States Senate in favor of what we’ve just done here in the Senate, and that’s to pass a bill to make Daylight Savings Time permanent,” Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said at the time. “Just this past weekend, we all went through that biannual ritual of changing the clock back and forth and the disruption that comes with it. And one has to ask themselves after a while why do we keep doing it?”

And yet, all these months later – and with the clocks set to be turned back – the Democratic-led House has not picked up the measure. And it seems unlikely to do so in the lame-duck session that will follow the next week’s midterm elections.

“I can’t say it’s a priority,” Rep. Frank Pallone, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told The Hill newspaper in July.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she personally favors making Daylight Saving Time permanent, but said in March that “it’s not going to be much of an issue” for her caucus.

Which is odd. Because making Daylight Saving Time permanent is broadly popular. A Monmouth University poll conducted in March showed that 61% of Americans would favor getting rid of our twice-annual clock changes. The survey also found that 44% of Americans prefer making Daylight Saving Time permanent, while 13% (who are these people!) want to operate on standard time all year.

The debate of Daylight Saving Time has been going on for a very long time. And the misunderstanding about why we do it goes back at least as long. It is not, as is commonly assumed, because we wanted to give farmers more time to work in the fields in the spring and summer. Instead, it’s aimed at reducing our electricity consumption by making it light later in the day.

In fact, our current practices on Daylight Saving Time are fewer than two decades old. Prior to 2007, DST began in April and ended in October. But in 2005, President George W. Bush – in hopes of addressing the country’s long-term energy issues – made Daylight Saving Time start three weeks earlier and end a week later.

The Department of Energy found in 2008 that the four-week extension of Daylight Saving Time saved roughly .5% of electricity use every day. So there’s that.

(Sidebar: The US is not alone in observing Daylight Saving Time. Seventy other countries around the world do too. But in Britain, France and Germany, the change is on a different schedule: clocks spring forward on the last Sunday in March, and fall back on the last Sunday in October.)

The origins of the idea are up for debate. But in a 1784 letter to the editor of the Journal of Paris, Benjamin Franklin suggested that Parisians could save money by getting up earlier during the summer because they would then have to light fewer candles in the evening.

Daylight saving time 2023: Here's when you'll lose an hour in March

Leer en español

As every other U.S. state springs forward with the start of daylight saving time in March 2023, Hawaii and most of Arizona will remain havens where residents don't have to change the clocks on every appliance, vehicle and electronic device they own.

Even more good news: Arizonans won't have to navigate a one-hour time difference with our West Coast neighbors anymore when daylight saving time begins — until it returns in the fall, anyway.

Arizona — with the exception of the Navajo Nation, which spans Arizona, Utah and New Mexico — has not observed DST for the last 50 years, after decades of going on and off daylight-saving measures implemented during wars. According to the Pima County Public Library, "Arizona ... went on Daylight Saving Time on April 30, 1967, for the first time since World War II. Daylight Saving Time was rejected by the Arizona legislature in 1968."

Here's what you need to know about daylight saving time in 2023, including what it does — and doesn't — mean for Arizonans and the chances of eliminating it in the U.S.

Learn more: Best travel insurance

More DST facts:How daylight saving time affects Arizonans

When does daylight saving time 2023 start?

At 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12, 2023, most of the U.S. will move forward one hour to 3 a.m. Most of Arizona, as well as Hawaii, will remain as they were.

When does daylight saving time 2023 end?

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November each year. Clocks will fall back one hour to 1 a.m.

In 2023, that is Sunday, Nov. 5.

More:Best drought-tolerant plants for your Arizona landscape

Why does Arizona not observe daylight saving time?

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 — which allows states to choose whether to remain on standard time or change their clocks twice a year — has been in effect in the U.S. since 1967. Arizona tried going back to daylight saving time that year, but state legislators soon decided to opt out, and the state reverted to standard time beginning in 1968.

For one thing, Arizonans just don't need an extra hour of daylight during our summer months.

"Arizona participated in daylight saving time in 1967, but energy consumption soared," Arizona State University history professor Calvin Schermerhorn told ASU News in 2018. "In most of the country, an extra hour of daylight supposedly saved fuel used to heat and light buildings. But in most of the state, the scheme worked in reverse: air conditioners had to run longer.

The Navajo Nation has opted to continue observing DST, which ensures that everyone on the reservation that spans three states is in the same time zone.

More:Should you trim your trees for the monsoon? Here’s what an arborist wants you to know

What happened to making daylight saving time permanent?

There have been several attempts at making daylight saving time permanent at the federal level in recent years.

The most recent effort, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023, was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Marco Rubio on March 1. If it passes the Senate and the House, the bill would be sent to President Joe Biden's desk for approval.

Previously, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 — which aimed to make "daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time, effective November 5, 2023" — stalled in Congress after the U.S. Senate passed it in a unanimous vote in March 2022. The bill died when the legislative session ended in January.

Reach the reporter at kimi.robinson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

Why Arizona doesn't observe daylight saving time

Scott Craven and Weldon B. Johnson

azcentral.com

Daylight saving time 2021 starts at 2 a.m. Sunday.

Most everyone else in the United States lost an hour when they moved their clocks ahead. In Arizona, we don't engage in such silliness because we don't participate in daylight saving time.

It’s one of the few times we get to feel smug about how reasonable and rational we are compared to most of the country.

Feeling superior to most of the country is pretty much our favorite pastime from November through March because of the weather, but this daylight saving thing is something we can actually take credit for not having to deal with.

For Arizona, it started in 1967, shortly after the U.S. adopted the Uniform Time Act, which set the guidelines for daylight saving time. Some wise Arizonans figured out there was no good reason to adjust our clocks to make sunset occur an hour later during the hottest months of the year.

We don't want any more daylight, thanks

When you live in the desert, daylight is way overrated. In summer, anyway. Summer brings the kind of daylight surplus that results in plummeting demand. So no, we don't want to save it. If we could, we'd ship it to the Southern Hemisphere. We'd trade it straight up for one 70-degree day in August. Just one.

If we moved to DST, summer sunsets would occur an hour later, prolonging our heat-based agony. If only someone would introduce the Daylight Spending Act, allowing us to move the clocks back an hour in May.

(Admittedly the earlier sunsets would also mean earlier sunrises, but the psychological effect could not be discounted.)

A part of Arizona does go with the time flow. The Navajo Nation makes the changes each year, ensuring that residents of the reservation (which spans three states) stay on the same schedule.

How daylight saving time affects Arizona

• Arizona will be three hours behind New York, two hours behind Chicago, one hour behind Denver and even with Los Angeles.

• Sporting events outside Arizona will start an hour earlier. That means you'll be popping a beer at 10 a.m. when the next NFL game starts.

• Shows will start earlier on some cable TV networks. That's assuming you still watch at the scheduled time rather than via DVR or streaming.

Daylight saving facts

• Daylight saving time was ostensibly started to save energy, but it turned out people enjoyed having an extra hour of daylight after work. Except in Arizona.

• The Navajo Reservation observes daylight saving time; the Hopi Reservation does not. The Navajo Reservation surrounds the Hopi Reservation, so if you drive from Flagstaff to Gallup through Tuba City and Ganado, you'll change time on four occasions.

• Western Indiana used to be even more confusing as some counties and cities observed daylight saving while others did not. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 put an end to that foolishness.

• Be happy that in 1905, the British roundly ignored builder William Willett's proposal to push clocks ahead 20 minutes each Sunday in April and roll them back in similar increments in September.

• The first use of daylight saving dates to July 1908 in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay), Canada. Despite the commercial possibilities, the city holds no daylight saving parades nor sells "Birthplace of DST" shot glasses.

• The U.S. first adopted daylight saving time, called "Fast Time," in 1918 in support of the war effort. It was repealed seven months later.

• On Feb. 9, 1942, Americans set their clocks an hour ahead and kept them there until Sept. 30, 1945. It was officially War Time, with zones reflecting the change (Arizona, for example, was on Mountain War Time).

• China may or may not manipulate its currency, but it does mess with the clock. Though spread over five time zones, China recognizes only one, Beijing time. It is supposed to promote unity, but tell that to those who live in the far west when the summer sunsets as late as midnight.

• If the U.S. observed the one-time-zone policy (Washington, D.C., time, of course), the summer sun in Arizona would set as late as 10:42 p.m. and weather-related crankiness would hit an all-time high.

• In 1991 and again in 2014, a few lawmakers floated the idea of having Arizona join the daylight saving parade. Republicans and Democrats were united in their rejection of such a proposal, offering brief and shining moments of true bipartisanship.

•The banning of the time switch even has its own (albeit small) movement. Hoping to unite people behind #LocktheClock, the site dedicated to freezing time (sort of) tracks state legislation aimed at ending the spring-ahead, fall-back madness.

• Daylight saving time could be harmful to your health. A 2014 study led by the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center found the number of heart attacks goes up 24% on the Monday following the spring forward. One theory is that the increased risk may be linked to that lost hour of sleep.

• More than 70 countries observe daylight saving time. No one is sure just how much daylight is saved, globally, each year, though physics indicates none.

• It is daylight saving time, not daylight savings time. So it is decreed by those who spend inordinate amounts of time policing words. (Update: It used to be daylight-saving time until earlier this year when Associated Press style wizards largely banned the hyphen.)

The Daylight Saving Time debate: What you need to know | CNN

Editor’s Note: Sign up for the Sleep, But Better newsletter series. Our seven-part guide has helpful hints to achieve better sleep.

CNN —

My least favorite weekend of the year is upon us. It’s the weekend in which I feel the effects of losing an hour of sleep because of the switch to Daylight Saving Time (notice the singular) from standard time. For others, this weekend is a happier time because we just gained an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day.

Some might say the best way to reconcile these two beliefs is to have a full year of Daylight Saving Time. That is, always have the sun late and never have that feeling of a lost hour of sleep.

I like that idea, but it turns out we can’t end the discussion so easily. American opinions on how we should tell time and history indicate it can be quite the divisive argument. I should know because I did a podcast about this very topic last year.

I found that there were groups lobbying at each other’s throats for different solutions.

Beyond that feud, here are five key facts that I learned and that you should know about how we tell time.

Americans don’t want to change the clocks but can’t agree on a solution

There were three high-quality polls taken in 2021 – The Associated Press, Langer Research Associates and CBS News – on the topic of whether we should continue to have Daylight Saving Time from roughly the beginning of March to the beginning of November and standard time from November through the beginning of March.

The polls found Americans split right down the middle. While just 31% of Americans wanted to keep switching the clocks back and forth every year, the other roughly two-thirds of Americans were divided on what to do, according to an average of the three polls.

There were 36% who wanted Daylight Saving Time all year around, the average of the polls found. Close by was the 30% who wanted standard time all year around. The results were so close that standard time all year around actually led Daylight Saving Time all year around in two of the three polls.

To be clear, neither standard time nor Daylight Saving Time add an extra amount of sunlight to the day. It all comes down to whether you want your sun to rise an hour earlier or set an hour later.

The fact that all three choices are so close to each other helps to explain why the status quo has reigned in this country my entire life.

Yes, there are states where the clocks never change

If you’re sick of changing the clocks, might I suggest two states to move to: most of Arizona or all of Hawaii. They never change the clocks. Every year when the rest of us spring ahead one hour, Hawaii and most of Arizona stay put in standard time. And when the rest of us fall back, Hawaii and most of Arizona greet us in the time they hold all year around.

Arizona doesn’t change time reportedly for a simple reason: It’s really hot in the summer. If you want to have fun outside when you get off work, you actually want the sun to set earlier.

Hawaii doesn’t change the clocks because there’s really no reason to do so. Being much nearer to the equator, the amount of sunlight you get in the heart of either winter or summer differs little. Why mess with the clocks?

You can be on standard time all year, but not Daylight Saving Time

Arizona and Hawaii might make you wonder whether states can willy-nilly decide they’re going to stop the clock jumping. (A number of states have actually tried!)

States can opt out of changing the clocks, but they can only do it in one direction. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 only allows for states to observe standard time all year around.

That’s why there has been a movement led by US Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida to allow states to opt into having Daylight Saving Time all year around. Rubio noted that he does not aim to force states to have Daylight Saving Time.

In theory, such a move could lead to a patchwork of states following different time rules. It’s easy to imagine that leading to confusion, but maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing when many of us know the time because of what our phones say (something I argued for in my podcast with “Pod Save America’s” Jon Lovett.)

That’s how it used to be all over the United States. In 1940, 31 states and Washington, DC, observed Daylight Saving Time, while at least parts of 17 states did not. The inability to have consistency (in an era when we had to adjust the clocks ourselves) is one of the reasons for the Uniform Time Act of 1966.

We’ve tried full-year Daylight Saving Time before (it failed)

Most people in my circle of friends tell me they welcome the extra hour of sun all year around. What they should know is that we’ve gone to full Daylight Saving Time multiple times in the last 80 years, and it never stuck.

We kept Daylight Saving Time permanent during most of World War II. The idea was put in place to conserve fuel and keep things standard. As the war came to a close in 1945, Gallup asked respondents how we should tell time. Only 17% wanted to keep what was then called “war time” all year.

During the energy crisis of the 1970s, we tried permanent Daylight Saving Time again in the winter of 1973-1974. The idea again was to conserve fuel.

There was just one problem: Imagine living on the western end of a time zone in the middle of winter – Indiana and especially Michigan. The sun didn’t come up until after 9 a.m. This led to, among other things, complaints from parents about their kids having to wait for the bus in the dark.

The experiment ended after one year. In an Opinion Research Corp. poll conducted right around the time we stopped having Daylight Saving Time all year around, 53% opposed keeping it – 42% strongly.

The health and economic effects are unclear

The debate over what we should do with our clocks would be easier to solve if there was either a health or financial incentive to go one way or the other.

The issue is that for every argument there is a counterargument. There are studies, for example, that show we have more car accidents when people lose an extra hour of sleep. There are also studies that show robberies decline when there is an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day. We also know that people suffer more heart attacks at the start of Daylight Saving Time. But what about our mental health? People seem to be happier when there is an extra hour of daylight.

Of course, there’s the economy, which pays for all of that outdoor fun in the sun. Although saving energy was often put out as a reason to have Daylight Saving Time, the energy saved isn’t much – if anything at all.

Instead, the lobbying effort for Daylight Saving Time came mostly from different sectors of the economy. In the mid-20th century, lobby groups for the recreational sports industry (think driving ranges) wanted more customers to come out after a day at the office. It’s easier to do so when there is more light at the end of the day.

But the movie industry didn’t like Daylight Saving Time. You’re less likely to go to a movie when it’s bright outside. Despite the myth, farmers didn’t like it either because it made it difficult to get their food to the market in the morning.

The bottom line: It’s not clear whether having that extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day versus the beginning is helpful. It just depends on who you are and what you want. You can make an argument either way. As for me, I prefer that extra hour of sleep. That puts me in the minority among my friends. Oh well.

Daylight Saving Time history: Why and when the US started ...

CNN —

It’s that time of the year again. You wake up and see your kitchen clock reading 7 a.m., even though you swear it’s 8 a.m.

But wait, whew.

You’re not confused. It’s Daylight Saving Time.

Twice a year, clocks around the world move forward or backward by an hour.

But what’s the point?

There’s an age-old myth that Daylight Saving was a practice adopted to give farmers extra time in the sun to work out in the field. But, that’s not really why dozens of countries follow it.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is a system to reduce electricity usage by extending daylight hours. For eight months out of the year, the US and dozens of other countries follow DST, and for the remaining four months, revert back to standard time in order to take full advantage of the sunlight.

On the second Sunday of March at 2 a.m., clocks move forward one hour. Then, on the first Sunday of November at 2 a.m., the clocks turn back an hour. A good way to remember it? The time shifts match the seasons: Clocks “spring” forward an hour in March and “fall” back in November.

In the summer months, the sun is out for longer periods of time, so you can rely on daylight to avoid switching lights on. The clocks revert back to standard time for the winter months so the sun can rise earlier and the world starts the day off with sunlight – otherwise some places wouldn’t see the sun come up until almost 8:30 a.m.

When did it start?

The current March-November system the US follows began in 2007, but the concept of “saving daylight” is much older. It’s debated who originally came up with the idea, but Benjamin Franklin appeared to have first mentioned it in 1784, when he wrote a letter to the editor of the Journal of Paris.

DST wasn’t widely used until more than a century later, though. Several countries, including Britain and Germany, implemented DST during World War I. The practice aimed to cut artificial lighting use so troops could conserve fuel for the war. But the US didn’t standardize the system until 1966, when it passed the Uniform Time Act.

For years, the US observed DST from the first Sunday of April to the last Sunday of October. In 2005, President George W. Bush extended DST an extra four weeks, officially taking effect in 2007.

But not everyone has opted to follow DST. Only 70 countries around the world “save daylight” every year. In the US, states are not required by law to follow DST – Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe it. Other states – like Florida and California – are working to observe DST year-round (rather than just between March and November).

There’s a move in Congress to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. The Sunshine Protection Act passed the Senate on March 15, 2022, by unanimous consent. The bill would still need to pass the House and be signed by President Joe Biden to become law. If approved, the change won’t take effect until November 2023.

Supporters of the measure say it would put an end to disruption caused by time changes.

Does DST actually work?

Well … It’s debated.

While the practice can help reduce some energy consumption, critics have raised concerns of whether the amount of energy saved is worth the hassle of implementing the system around the world.

In 2008, the US Department of Energy found that the four-week extension of DST from April-October to March-November saved about 0.5 percent in total electricity every day. While that seems like almost nothing, it totals 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours and the DOE says that adds up to “the amount of electricity used by more than 100,000 households for an entire year.”

But a study that same year by the National Bureau of Economic Research concluded that DST increases the demand for electricity – even though lighting usage reduced, demand for heating and cooling increased, so electricity consumption was about the same.

Other studies have found that benefits of DST may be location-specific. One found electricity reductions in Norway and Sweden, while another saw increased electricity demand in Indiana.

Whether or not “saving daylight” is the most energy efficient method for electricity conservation is still up for debate. But for now, if you live in any of the countries that follow DST, remember to switch your clocks back before you go to sleep Sunday night. Otherwise you’ll wake up thinking you’re late to work.

Daylight saving time 2022: U.S. Senate OK'd Sunshine Protection ...

Love it or hate it, it's time to talk about daylight saving time.

This time, get ready to "fall back." At 2 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 6, Florida residents will have to set their clocks back by one hour.

Daylight saving time 2023:Like "fall back," Florida will still "spring forward," for now

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill called the "Sunshine Protection Act", which was introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida. The bill would permanently extend daylight saving time from eight months of the year to the full 12 months. But the measure has not yet been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, nor has it been signed into law by President Biden.

So this happened:Senate passes bill to make daylight saving time permanent

Ummm, didn't Florida agree to do away with the whole clock-changing thing?

Florida's Panhandle, which is in the Central Standard Time zone, is also affected by daylight saving time.

Here are some things to know about daylight saving time, fall back and spring forward.

What is daylight saving time?

According to timeanddate.com, "daylight saving time is the practice of setting the clocks one hour ahead of standard time to make use of more sunlight in the spring, summer, and fall evenings. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is used to save energy and make better use of daylight. It was first used in 1908 in Thunder Bay, Canada."

Daylight saving time became a national standard in 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act, which was established as a way to continue to conserve energy. The thinking was, if it's light out longer, that's less time you'll need to use lights in your home.

Is it daylight savings time, daylight saving's time or daylight saving time?

It's daylight saving time. No hyphen, no apostrophe and no extra S in the phrase. Also, no capitalization. However, for people searching the term online, these results come up: "Daylight Saving Time," "daylight savings" and "daylight savings time."

The Twitterverse is SO not quiet about daylight saving time

Daylight saving time:7 facts to know about the time change

Who's in charge of daylight saving time?

The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the nation's time zones and the uniform observance of daylight saving time, according to transportation.gov. The oversight of time zones was assigned to the DOT to help keep track of transportation.

When is daylight saving time 2022?

Daylight saving time is at 2 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 6. Florida residents will need to "fall back" or set their clock back one hour.

When is daylight saving time 2023?

Daylight saving time for 2023 will be at 2 a.m. EST Sunday, March 12, for "spring forward" and 2 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 5, for "fall back."

What is the Sunshine Protection Act?

The Sunshine Protection Act would permanently extend daylight saving time from eight months of the year to the full 12 months. The bill was first introduced in January 2021 and reintroduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and seven other bipartisan members of Congress in March 2022. The bill would make daylight saving time permanent across the U.S.

Click here to read the Sunshine Protection Act bill from congress.gov.

What is the Standard Time Act?

The Standard Time Act of 1918 was the first federal law that implemented standard time and daylight saving time.

The U.S. Department of Transportation states, "federal oversight of time zones began in 1918 with the enactment of the Standard Time Act, which vested the Interstate Commerce Commission with the responsibility for establishing boundaries between the standard time zones in the U.S. This responsibility was transferred from the Interstate Commerce Commission to DOT when Congress created DOT in 1966."

What is the Uniform Time Act?

In 1966 when the U.S. Department of Transportation was created, the Uniform Time Act established a system of uniform daylight saving time across the U.S. It simplified when and where daylight saving time would take effect.

Which states don't observe daylight saving time?

Arizona and Hawaii do not recognize DST. There's also no no need to change the clocks in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

Which states don't want to observe daylight saving time?

More than 30 states are considering legislation related to the practice of changing clocks twice a year, and seven states — Alabama, Arkansas, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Florida — have already approved the legislation. However, these states still need the OK from Congress to enact the change.

Which countries observe daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time is used in more than 70 countries worldwide and affects more than a billion people each year. The beginning and end dates vary from one country to another.

What are the pros of daylight saving time?

If permanent daylight saving time takes effect, the biggest pro by far would be no sleep disruption. No need to change your clock twice a year before, at or after 2 a.m. on a Sunday in the fall and spring.

Other perks would be more time during the day to be out and about, and experts say it's better for your health — no sleep disruption. No preparing-for-bed or waking-up habits to change.

Contributing: Mike Snider, USA TODAY; Ginny Beagan, USA TODAY Network-Florida

Lebanon time zone confusion emerges after daylight saving time ...

Abby Sewell

Associated Press

BEIRUT – The Lebanese government's last-minute decision to delay the start of daylight saving time until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan resulted in mass confusion Sunday.

With some institutions implementing the change while others refused, many Lebanese have found themselves in the position of juggling work and school schedules in different time zones — in a country that is just 88 kilometers (55 miles) at its widest point.

In some cases, the debate took on a sectarian nature, with many Christian politicians and institutions, including the small nation's largest church, the Maronite Church, rejecting the move.

The small Mediterranean country normally sets its clocks forward an hour on the last Sunday in March, which aligns with most European countries.

However, on Thursday, the government announced a decision by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to push the start of daylight saving to April 21.

No reason was given for the decision, but a video of a meeting between Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri leaked to local media showed Berri asking Mikati to postpone the implementation of daylight saving time to allow Muslims to break their Ramadan fast an hour earlier.

Time changes:When is daylight saving time 2023? Here's what to know about the time change in March.

Daylight saving time: Daylight saving time is here. But why does it exist in the first place?

Mikati responds that he had made a similar proposal but goes on to say that implementing the change would be difficult as it would cause problems in airline flight schedules, to which Berri interjects, "What flights?"

After the postponement of daylight saving was announced, Lebanon's state airline, Middle East Airlines, said the departure times of all flights scheduled to leave from the Beirut airport between Sunday and April 21 would be advanced by an hour.

The country's two cellular telephone networks messaged people asking them to change the settings of their clocks to manual instead of automatic so the time would not change at midnight, although in many cases the time advanced anyway.

While public institutions, in theory, are bound by the government's decision, many private institutions, including TV stations, schools and businesses, announced that they would ignore the decision and move to daylight saving on Sunday as previously scheduled.

Even some public agencies refused to comply. Education Minister Abbas Halabi said in a statement Sunday evening that the decision was not legally valid because it had not been taken in a meeting of the Cabinet. If the government meets and approves the decision, he wrote, "we will be the first to implement it" but until then, "daylight saving time remains approved and applied in the educational sector."

Soha Yazbek, a professor at the American University of Beirut, is among many parents who have found themselves and their children now bound to different schedules.

"So now I drop my kids to school at 8 am but arrive to my work 42 km away at 7:30 am and then I leave work at 5 pm but I arrive home an hour later at 7 pm!!" Yazbek wrote on Twitter, adding for the benefit of her non-Lebanese friends, "I have not gone mad, I just live in Wonderland."

Haruka Naito, a Japanese non-governmental organization worker living in Beirut, discovered she has to be in two places at the same time on Monday morning.

"I had an 8 a.m. appointment and a 9 a.m. class, which will now happen at the same time," she said. The 8 a.m. appointment for her residency paperwork is with a government agency following the official time, while her 9 a.m. Arabic class is with an institute that is expected to make the switch to daylight saving.

The schism has led to jokes about "Muslim time" and "Christian time," while different internet search engines came up with different results early Sunday morning when queried about the current time in Lebanon.

While in many cases, the schism broke down along sectarian lines, some Muslims also objected to the change and pointed out that fasting is supposed to begin at dawn and end at sunset regardless of time zone.

Many saw the issue as a distraction from the country's larger economic and political problems.

Lebanon is in the midst of the worst financial crisis in its modern history. Three quarters of the population lives in poverty and IMF officials recently warned the country could be headed for hyperinflation if no action is taken. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of President Michel Aoun ended in late October as the parliament has failed to elect a replacement since.

Daylight saving time 2023: When does time change? Do we lose an ...

Only two states don't observe daylight saving time – Hawaii and Arizona.

The U.S. Department of Transportation says that daylight saving time conserves energy.

Daylight saving time now accounts for about 65% of the year.

Like it or not, the annual ritual of changing our clocks to daylight saving time is coming at 2 a.m., Sunday, March 12.

Since most of our computers, smartphones and DVRs automatically change the time for us, it's not as much of a chore as it used to be. But unless you have smart appliances, microwaves and ovens are among the household items that will need a manual adjustment.

Who's in charge of DST? When did it start? Why does the United States and more than 70 other countries observe it? Here are the answers to those questions, and more:

Do we gain or lose an hour?

We all lose an hour of sleep when going to DST, as the day is only 23 hours long.

When clocks go forward, that one hour of daylight is basically shifted from morning to evening as daylight saving time begins. We won't go back to standard time until Sunday, Nov. 5.

Who's in charge of time?

Surprisingly, the U.S. Department of Transportation is in charge of daylight saving time and all time zones in the U.S.

"The oversight of time zones was assigned to DOT because time standards are important for many modes of transportation," according to the department's website.

What is the future of daylight saving time?:Year-round change depends on federal vote.

When did the U.S. officially enact daylight saving time?

DST became a national standard in the U.S. in 1966 with the passage of the Uniform Time Act. States either have to change the clocks at a specified time or stick with standard time throughout the year.

In 2007, the federal government expanded daylight saving time in order to reduce energy consumption. The law now specifies that daylight time applies from 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March until 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November

Daylight saving time now accounts for about 65% of the year.

Federal law does allow states to remain in standard time all year, but states must first get approval from Congress before making daylight saving time permanent.

Did Benjamin Franklin invent the time change?

While not necessarily advocating changing time, Benjamin Franklin urged his fellow countrymen to work during daylight and sleep after dark, thus saving money on candles. (It was likely a tongue-in-cheek comment.)

'Zombie ant fungus' in humans?:Climate change sparks fungi fears — Some serious and some silly.

How many countries observe DST?

More than 70. It's known as summer time in some countries, including the United Kingdom and in Europe. No one is sure just how much daylight is saved, globally, each year, though physics indicates none.

Why was daylight saving time created?

The DOT says daylight saving time conserves energy. When the sun sets later, it's presumed that people will stay out longer and spend more time outside. Theoretically, that leads to less electricity for lights and appliances.

The debate over daylight saving time, which was first enacted by the federal government during World War I as a way to conserve coal, has picked up momentum in recent years.

What are the downsides to DST?

Not everyone agrees it offers energy-saving benefits. Some studies report the time switch saves energy on lighting, but is surpassed by increases in heating and air conditioning. It can also mess with our sleep patterns, at least temporarily.

Other health impacts consequences, according to various studies and research, include increased headaches, heart attacks and depression.

What states do not do daylight saving time?

Only two states don't observe it – Hawaii and Arizona. Other non-observers include American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Do some states want year-round DST?

Yes. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in the past five years, 19 states have "enacted legislation or passed resolutions to provide for year-round daylight saving time, if Congress were to allow such a change, and in some cases, if surrounding states enact the same legislation. Because federal law does not currently allow full-time DST, Congress would have to act before states could adopt changes."

Grammar check: It's actually saving –not savings time

The correct term is daylight "saving" (not savings) time. However, the incorrect term “daylight savings time” is commonly used, especially in Australia, Canada and the United States. It's also supposed to be lowercase, not uppercase, according to the Associated Press stylebook.

Dig Deeper


Humza Yousaf: the 'Irn-Bru-swigging' new SNP leader | The Week UK

We will use the details you have shared to manage your registration. You agree to the processing, storage, sharing and use of this information for the purpose of managing your registration as described in our Privacy Policy.

Would you like to receive The WeekDay newsletter ?

The WeekDay newsletter provides you with a daily digest of news and analysis.

We will use the details you have shared to manage your newsletter subscription. You agree to the processing, storage, sharing and use of this information for the purpose of managing your subscription as described in our Privacy Policy.

We will use the information you have shared for carefully considered and specific purposes, where we believe we have a legitimate case to do so, for example to send you communications about similar products and services we offer. You can find out more about our legitimate interest activity in our Privacy Policy.

If you wish to object to the use of your data in this way, please tick here.

'We' includes The Week and other Future Publishing Limited brands as detailed here.

Humza Yousaf: can new SNP leader keep Starmer out in Scotland ...

The SNP in crisis | The Week UK

Next SNP leader odds and polls: the race to replace Nicola ...

Peter Murrell: former SNP boss at centre of police funding probe ...

Scottish minister boasts 'huge influence' in hung UK parliament

Jon Stone

The Independent

The Scottish National Party would have a "huge amount of influence" over governments formed after a hung parliament, one of the party's ministers has said.

Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Government's minister for External Affairs, told BBC News that "every poll" showed the SNP is set to have influence over "every single piece of legislation."

"You have a hell of a lot of influence issue by issue, day by day on every single piece of legislation that has to be passed in the house," he said.

"And every poll indicates that, of course, we know neither Labor nor the Conservatives are going to have a majority.

"If we have a bloc of SNP MPs and we are the third largest party, then actually we would have a huge amount of influence."

David Cameron has accused Labor leader Ed Miliband of a "con trick" over the SNP's role in a future government, claiming the opposition leader is deliberately misleading voters on the issue.

"Basically what he's doing is a con trick. You can see what he's doing: 'Look at this strong language about no deals and no pacts, and ignore the fact that I can only become prime minister off the back of SNP votes,' " Cameron told the Press Association.

Miliband has ruled out doing any "deals" with the SNP in the event of a hung parliament.

A minority Labor government would, however, have to rely on support from the nationalists if polls showing them taking all of Scotland's seats came to fruition.

Polls suggest the SNP is on course to take practically every seat in Scotland on Thursday.

This is an edited version of a story that originally appeared in The Independent. The content was created separately from USA TODAY.

MORE FROM THE INDEPENDENT'S U.K. ELECTION COVERAGE:

Nicola Sturgeon slams 'dangerous' Home Office after deportation ...