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Getting outside for some sunlight on Sunday morning after the time change can also help, as the bright light helps the body’s internal clock reset, regulating the timing of sleep and alertness. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends people gradually adjust their sleep and wake times-shifting bedtime 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night for a few nights before the time change. Regardless of which time saving ritual is preferred, the toll it takes on the body is well documented.
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adult citizens finding 63 percent of adults want to see the changing of clocks eliminated.Ībout 48 percent of adults surveyed said they would like permanent DST to hold, meaning clocks would stay sprung forward an hour for a later sunset in March.Ībout 29 percent indicated they would like standard time to become permanent, when clocks fall back an hour in the fall for an earlier sunrise. The bill was introduced in 2021 but hasn’t moved through Congress since.Īmericans seem more than ready to end the annual ritual of DST, with an Economist/YouGov poll conducted last year among 1,500 U.S. It would not change the country’s time zones or the number of hours of sunlight. Lawmakers have tried to enact the Sunshine Protection Act, legislation that would make DST permanent and eliminate the need to change clocks in the fall every year. Researchers estimated about 28 fatal accidents could be prevented yearly if the daylight savings time transition was abolished. In one study, researchers found daylight savings in springtime was acutely worse than the fall changing of clocks, with fatal traffic accident risks rising by 6 percent. The time change can be uncomfortable, as research has shown it can lead to sleep disruptions every spring as well as decreased cognitive performance, more traffic accidents and an increase in heart attacks.Īmerica is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. Most of the country will have to change their clocks this weekend, except for Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. The general idea of daylight savings time (DST) is to allow for better use of natural daylight, as moving clocks forward one hour in March grants more daylight during summer evenings and moving clocks one hour backwards in the fall offers more daylight during winter mornings. Most Americans largely want to eliminate the changing of clocks and many lawmakers agree, as the time change can take a toll on people’s health. Lawmakers introduced the Sunshine Protection Act last year to make DST permanent and eliminate the need to change clocks in the fall every year, but it hasn’t made progress in Congress.Īs the spring season approaches, most Americans will have to set their clocks one hour ahead when daylight savings arrives at 2 a.m.Advancing clocks by one hour has been shown to disrupt sleep in Americans every spring, along with a rise in traffic accidents and heart attacks.Daylight saving time (DST) will occur on Sunday, March 13 at 2 a.m.
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