It’s time to spring forward again! Early Sunday morning, New Jersey will turn its clocks forward from 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. You’ll probably oversleep on Sunday, since your internal body clock will be an hour behind, but you should get used to the new time after a day or two.
Daylight saving time (DST) is a practice that is supposed to maximize the daylight. As winter turns to spring in countries far from the equator, the days get longer. The sun rises as early as 4:00 a.m. in the summer, so by the time most people start waking up at more earthly hours, the sun has already been shining for a while. By moving the clock forward, the sun rises—and sets—at a later time, thereby giving us more sunlight when we’re up and about.
You probably don’t remember a time without DST. That’s because daylight saving time is celebrating its 100th anniversary in the United States. It was first implemented in the US in March 1918, to preserve coal during World War I. In 1916, Germany moved the clocks forward in an effort to conserve fuel for the war effort. The United Kingdom, recognizing a good idea even though they were fighting Germany at the time, followed suit a few weeks later. It took two years for the United States to to implement it as well.
After the Great War, most American cities dropped DST, only to pick it up again during World War II. During the war years, DST was actually used year-round to provide more daylight and conserve fuel. In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which standardized the start and end dates for daylight saving time.
Daylight Saving Time: Good or Bad?
Daylight saving time is a hotly contested topic year after year. Proponents argue it saves energy and money, reduces car accidents, and gets people outdoors more. Symptoms of SAD—seasonal affective disroder—decrease after the time change. Another health benefit is that people are more likely to be active during DST, and Vitamin D intake from sun exposure increases as well.
Skeptics claim the savings—if they exist at all—are insignificant, and DST is nothing but a disruptive annoyance. Changing the clock interferes with your body’s circadian rhythm and makes you feel tired for a few days. Some people feel the effect of the time shift for weeks afterward. There was also a startling study that showed that moving the clock forward can trigger heart attacks in those already at risk.
To reduce the effect of losing an hour of sleep, start moving up your bedtime tonight. Give yourself an extra half hour to sleep, and do the same on Saturday night.
At this point, DST is an institution in the United States, and most people appreciate having more daylight hours. It’s hard to tell whether or not we get any meaningful benefit from it, but it’s still fun to change the clock twice a year!
