Clocks in most states leapt forward an hour this morning as Daylight Saving Time (DST) went into effect.
Why It Matters
The biannual clock switch for most Americans is to take advantage of longer daylight during the spring and summer months. At 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, clocks jumped forward one hour for all U.S. states except for Hawaii and Arizona.
DST has become increasingly debated in recent years with a number of prominent figures, including President Donald Trump in December, calling for it to be abolished.
What To Know
Even though Americans lost an hour of sleep, they have gained an hour of daylight.
Every year, DST goes into effect from the second Sunday in March until the first Monday in November, in accordance with a uniform set of rules that were established for nearly all states by the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Hawaii is exempt from the switch as is Arizona. Areas under the jurisdiction of the Navajo Nation also do not follow DST. These areas instead operate on permanent standard time.
The time switch also does not apply to the U.S. overseas territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
There is a strong case for and against DST, with supporters claiming that more light in the evening helps reduce crime and could positively impact the economy as people take advantage of more daylight during evening hours, with critics arguing that it disrupts sleep patterns and adversely affects mental and physical health.
To minimize the health impacts of DST, Dr. Abigail Strang, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and a sleep medicine physician, told Newsweek people can prepare by getting at least 7 hours of sleep before and after the time change, gradually shifting their sleep schedule 20 minutes earlier in the days leading up to the change, and seeking early morning sunlight after the change to help reset the internal clock.
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What People Are Saying
Dr. Abigail Strang, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) told Newsweek: “The change to daylight saving time disturbs our natural rhythms and our natural sleep patterns and causes a lot of people to lose an hour of sleep. This shift can be really disruptive, and it actually increases health risks and the chances of accidents.”
She added that DST can cause sleep disruption, increased risk of accidents, an uptick in stroke and hospital admissions, and an impact on teenagers.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, President Donald Trump said on the abolition of DST: “It’s something I can do, but a lot of people like it one way, a lot of people like it the other way. It’s very even. And usually, I find when that’s the case, what else do we have to do?”
What Happens Next?
For most of the U.S., DST will remain in place until time falls back an hour on the first Monday in November, which is November 3 this year.