Get Ready to Lose an Hour of Sleep This Weekend

Daylight saving time returns on March 8. That means losing an hour of sleep because someone decided in 2007 that Americans should keep doing this twice a year.

Daylight saving time itself has been around for over a century, but the specific schedule—starting on the second Sunday in March and ending on the first Sunday in November—was established in 2007.

What does this mean for the majority of Americans? It means springing clocks forward one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Jump from 2 a.m. straight to 3 a.m. Sunrise and sunset will happen about one hour later. This means more evening light, less morning light, and one less hour of sleep.

The U.S. claims this makes better use of natural daylight and saves energy. Whether it actually does either of those things is debatable. What's certain is that over 300 million people will have disrupted sleep patterns.

But hey, coffee shops aren’t going to be complaining.

When It Happens

On Sunday, March 8 at 2 a.m. clocks will spring forward to 3 a.m.

Daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. This year that's November 1. Then everyone gets to adjust their clocks again and mess up their sleep schedules all over again.

The Smart States

Hawaii and most of Arizona said no thanks to this. They keep the same time year-round.

Arizona skips it because of the desert climate. The Navajo Nation participates anyway because it spans parts of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.

U.S. territories also opted out such as American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

What It Does to Your Body

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says the time change disrupts sleep patterns for over 300 million people.

Researchers and medical professionals have found that adjusting clocks twice a year increases mood disturbances and hospital admissions. The risk of heart attacks increases by approximately 24% on the Monday following the spring shift to daylight saving time. Car crashes spike around the time change too.

So, everyone loses sleep, gets grumpy, and becomes more likely to crash their car. But at least there's more evening light.

How to Survive

Go to bed 10 to 15 minutes earlier each night before March 8. Gradually adjust instead of losing the full hour all at once.

Get morning sunlight exposure. Going outside early helps reset your body clock naturally.

As much as that X-large cup of coffee is going to seem enticing to get you through this slump, it’s actually best to cut back on caffeine, particularly late in the day.

Keep consistent sleep and meal schedules, even on weekends.

These tips help. But everyone still loses an hour of sleep on Sunday morning. No way around that part.

The Bottom Line

Most Americans will lose an hour of sleep on March 8 because the nation decided in 2007 to keep adjusting clocks twice a year. Hawaii, most of Arizona, and U.S. territories looked at this plan and said no.

Medical research shows the time change increases risks for mood disturbances, hospital admissions, and car crashes. Over 300 million people get their sleep patterns disrupted. All to supposedly save energy and make better use of daylight.

For now, most states are still doing daylight saving time and pretending it makes sense as we lose sleep and sanity.

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