Beginning at the end of this week, time-saving daylight saving for 2024 will begin along with the clocks moving forward, taking an hour out of our valuable sleep schedules.
The time change begins on Sunday, March 10th, in the morning. The majority of Americans will benefit from an additional hour of sunlight until November, when the clocks change and fall, marking the start of fall.
What changes with the time?
Everything you should know about the time change is as follows:
It will change at two in the morning on Sunday, March 10. Every year, on the second Sunday in March, Daylight Saving Time (DST) is enacted and ends on the first Sunday in November.
When the clocks “spring forward,” do we gain or lose an hour?
November 3, 2024 is when Daylight Saving Time ends and the clocks “fall back.”
Those who live in areas that see the time change during daylight hours on Sunday morning from 2 AM to 3 AM will lose one hour. This implies that on Sunday, waking up at eight in the morning will feel more like seven.
Why do we have Daylight Saving Time?
There are several different stories about the origins of Daylight Saving Time. Farmers were first introduced to it as a way to make the most of their daylight hours while practicing. When put into practice, nevertheless, it didn’t genuinely promote energy savings. Although Benjamin Franklin is frequently given credit for creation, his 1784 proposal was more sarcastic in nature.
Daylight Saving Time was implemented in 1916 by Germany as a fuel-saving. Officials in Washington, D.C. were notified of the time shift by the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, and this led them to contemplate implementing it as a means of reducing artificial light usage and saving millions of dollars. Other European countries adopted Daylight Saving Time in 1918, and the United States did too.
The story does not end there. In 1919, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 established the modern system of Daylight Saving Time. Originally, Daylight Saving Time began in April and ended in October, but later updates proved that clocks would spring forward on the second Sunday in March and fall back on the first Sunday in November. President Woodrow Wilson attempted to veto this choice, but states were given the power to determine whether to continue the system. During World War II, the entire country observed Daylight Saving Time. An attempt was made in 1974 to reinstate it for energy conservation purposes, but nothing materialized.
Are there states that do not observe Daylight Saving Time?
Daylight Saving Time doesn’t take place in all states and territories. Since 1968, Arizona has not observed it; however, the Navajo Nation, which is a part of Arizona, does. Hawaii opted out of Daylight Saving Time in 1967, so it does not observe it either.
The Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are among the other areas that do not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Most nations that are not in the US do not observe Daylight Saving Time. Merely 25% of the global population engages in it, primarily in Europe, a few Latin American nations, and the Caribbean, according to Pew Research Center. The only nation in Africa to observe Daylight Saving Time is Egypt.
What are the negative aspects of Daylight Saving Time?
The change in the clocks might have unanticipated and detrimental implications on sleep patterns. The National Sleep Foundation emphasized these impacts in 2021, demonstrating how the time shift throws off people’s circadian rhythms, increasing the risk of heart attacks and occupational accidents.
Reduced sleep may raise the risk of auto accidents, according to AAA. It is advised that sleep routines be adjusted to the new hour to guarantee that people get enough sleep. According to research published in 2016, circadian rhythm abnormalities may also have physical consequences, like a higher risk of ischemic stroke.
Will Daylight Saving Time end permanently in 2024?
Despite national efforts, it seems doubtful that Daylight Saving Time will be ended in 2024.
A bill to permanently extend Daylight Saving Time and prohibit clock adjustments was approved by the Senate in 2022, but it was not put to a vote in the House prior to the conclusion of the session, hence it was never signed into law.
The bill was reintroduced in March 2023 and is presently being considered by committees in the House and the Senate. The bill is currently being sponsored and brought to the chambers for a vote.
Nearly 80% of Americans said they supported modifying the present system in 2022. 46% of respondents approved of the permanent one-hour time change from morning to night. But it appears that Daylight Saving Time will continue for the foreseeable future.
