Don't forget to set your clocks forward this weekend!
Sunday, March 14, 2021, marks the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. At 2:00 a.m., clocks will "spring forward" one hour – and while we lose an hour of sleep, we get an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day.
Most of the country will "spring forward" on Sunday, but a few parts of the country, including Arizona, Hawaii, and the five major U.S. territories – American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Island, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands – do not observe Daylight Saving Time.
Daylight Saving Time is also a semi-annual reminder to check our smoke detectors and change their batteries. Firefighters say smoke detectors provide the first line of defense against a fire, and they say now is the time to make sure yours are working.
Benjamin Franklin gets some credit for the idea of daylight saving time, though his recommendation was really a joke.
In a letter to the editor of the Journal of Paris, Franklin jokingly recommended the people get out of bed earlier in the morning to minimize the use of candles and lamp oil.
In 1895, George Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, came up with the modern concept of Daylight Saving Time. He proposed a two-hour time shift so he'd have more after-work hours of sunshine to go bug hunting in the summer. Hudson suggested moving clocks ahead two hours in October and then a two-hour shift back in March.
In the United States, daylight saving time was first used in 1918 when a bill introduced the idea of a seasonal time shift, but was repealed 7 months later. The idea was reintroduced during World War II under then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, "to help conserve fuel and 'promote national security and defense,' which is why it was nicknamed 'war time,'" according to the Department of Defense.
In 1966, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 established the idea of regulating a yearly time change. Daylight Saving Time would begin the last Sunday in April and end the last Sunday in October.
It's true!
A group of bipartisan U.S. Senators introduced the Sunshine Protection Act this week, which would mean Americans would not have to "fall back" in the fall.
The bill was introduced by both Florida's Republican Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott, as well as Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA), James Lankford (R-OK), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS).
Florida passed a bill in 2018 to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, but such legislation would need to be changed at the federal level. Fifteen other states have also made similar moves, according to a press release from Sen. Rubio's office.
"The call to end the antiquated practice of clock changing is gaining momentum throughout the nation," Rubio said in a statement. "Studies have shown many benefits of a year-round Daylight Saving Time, which is why the Florida legislature voted to make it permanent in 2018. I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, and give our nation’s families more stability throughout the year."
"Americans’ lifestyles are very different than they were when Daylight Saving Time began more than a century ago,” Whitehouse added. "Making Daylight Saving Time permanent will end the biannual disruptions to daily life and give families more daylight hours to enjoy after work and school.”
"Americans could use a little more sunshine after a long winter and an entire year of staying indoors amid the coronavirus pandemic," Sen. Scott, who signed the 2018 Florida legislation into law as governor, said. “As our state works to fully reopen and bring visitors back safely, this legislation will give families more time to enjoy all that Florida has to offer."
"Springing forward and falling back year after year only creates unnecessary confusion while harming Americans’ health and our economy," Wyden added. "Making Daylight Saving permanent would give folks an hour back of sunshine during the winter months when we need it most."
The Senators said that such a move would benefit the economy, reduce energy usage, benefit the agriculture sector disrupted by time changes, reduce risk for cardiac issues, stroke, and seasonal depression, as well as juvenile obesity and increase physical activity in children, and reduce robberies and car accidents.
It is unclear where the bill stands in Congress currently.
Here are five tips from Spectrum News Meteorologist Robyn King:
1. Start Sooner
You don’t have to wait for Sunday morning to adjust your inner clock to the time change. Slowly build yourself and your family up to the new schedule 15 minutes earlier each day.
Set the bedtime earlier each night so it won’t be an abrupt difference by Sunday. This is especially important for kids.
You can also change your clock Friday night instead of Saturday night. Allowing two days, rather than a single day, can help ease your inner clock to the new time before Monday morning.
2. Get Moving
Exercise and being active are great for your health and typically lead to a good night's sleep! Enjoy a walk outside or move around during daylight hours since this should tire your body out naturally.
Avoid exercise too close to your bedtime. You need to ‘cool down’ before starting to sleep.
3. Say ‘No’ to Bedtime Screen Time
There are screens everywhere – TV, phones, computers – but they can stimulate your brain and make it harder to fall asleep. Instead, try switching out the screens with a book, or try journaling, right before bed. This helps your mind unwind and usually get better sleep.
4. Hold the Coffee
Reducing your caffeine intake and drinking more water can do wonders for your tired body! Avoid alcohol and caffeine for 4 to 6 hours before bedtime.
5. Be Consistent
It’s best to wake up at the same time every morning. And yes, even on the weekends! This will make it easier to transition to the new time,especially when the alarm goes off the first Monday morning after the time change.
Spectrum News' Robyn King and Gary Stephenson contributed to this report.