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Home » Astronomy » Time
Daylight Saving Time 2023: When Does the Time Change?
When do we fall back and spring forward? We have the dates and history of the time change. Is it a practice whose time has come?
When Will We "Spring Forward" In 2023?
The second Sunday in March is when Daylight Saving Time begins in most areas of the US, so in 2023 we will "spring forward" one hour on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at 2 a.m.
We hope you remembered to set your clocks ahead one hour before bed that night!
When Do We "Fall Back" In 2023?
The first Sunday in November is when Daylight Saving Time ends in most areas of the U.S., so in 2023 we "fall back" one hour and return to Standard Time on Sunday, November 5, 2023, at 2 a.m. Be sure to set your clocks back one hour before bed Saturday night!
The return of Standard Time means the sun will rise a little earlier (at least according to our clocks) so if you're an early riser, you'll enjoy the rays as you have your breakfast. And you'll "gain" one hour of sleep. The bad news? It will be dark by the time most of us get out of work.
Read: How To Walk Your Dog Safely When It's Dark
Which States Don't Observe Daylight Saving Time?
According to US law, states can choose whether or not to observe DST. At present, Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii, plus a few other US territories, are the only places in the U.S. that do not observe Daylight Saving Time and stay on standard time all year long.
Indiana did not vote to observe DST until April 2006. Prior to that, some counties in the state observed it while others didn't, which caused a lot of confusion, particularly since Indiana is split into two time zones already!
At least 40 countries worldwide observe Daylight Saving Time, including most of Canada, though the majority of Saskatchewan and parts of northeastern British Columbia don't participate.
For obvious reasons, most countries near the equator don't deviate from standard time.
Are You Saying it Correctly?
The correct phrasing is "Daylight Saving Time" (not "savings" with an "s"), meaning: a time for saving daylight!
Is There A Benefit to Daylight Saving Time?
The idea behind moving the clocks twice a year is to take better advantage of the sun's natural electricity (or light). Most of us get out of bed after the sun has risen and gone to bed after it has set. But what if the sun rose and set later? When we spring forward and fall back, we're not really "saving" time; we're just giving up a little sun in the morning and adding it to the evening. So will we better utilize the sun's illumination during this newfound sunlight?
Later sunsets cause people to get out and do more in the evenings. Some argue that this results in an increase in our gasoline consumption as we drive around more during the lighter evenings. And if it's darker in the morning, doesn't that mean more electricity will be needed to get ready for school and work? Food for thought!
DST: Love It or Hate It?
How you feel about Daylight Saving Time probably depends on whether you are an early riser or a night owl. Obviously, changing the number on a clock doesn't actually add any time to our days. That point was eloquently made in this old joke:
When told the reason for daylight saving time the old Native American man said,
Only the government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom, and have a longer blanket.
However, in the spring, adding an hour of daylight onto the end of the day, after most of us have gotten out of work, can feel like a gift after a long winter of dark evenings. As the warmer spring weather arrives, nothing could be nicer than having more time in the evening to enjoy it!
Try these tips to help you adjust to the time change.
Is Benjamin Franklin To Blame For Daylight Saving Time?
Ben Franklin is often credited for inventing the idea of Daylight Saving Time, due to his partially tongue-in-cheek letter to a newspaper in Paris (read Franklin's letter here). However, Franklin seemed to understand the point of view of the Native American in the joke, above. Rather than changing the clocks, he simply advised us to change our schedules to better align with nature.
Is Daylight Saving Time A Practice Whose Time Has Come?
Since Daylight Saving Time was introduced, lawmakers have, on occasion, seen fit to fiddle with it. This happened in the 70s, during the oil crisis, and again several years ago. Since 2007, Daylight Saving Time got longer, beginning in March and ending in November, instead of April and October, respectively.
The latest development: On March 15, 2022, the US Senate passed a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. But the bill does not become law until the House of Representatives votes and the President signs the bill. Discussions have not taken place yet.
If the bill is signed into law, this would mean that this November will be the last time clocks will "fall back." In March 2023, when we spring forward, the clocks won't change from year to year.
What would permanent DST mean for our health and well-being?
On the bright side, the Sun won't set so early on winter evenings. But this also means that the Sun will rise later in the morning, (around 8am for most Northern states during the winter months).
Some people are concerned that dark mornings will make commutes to work and school more difficult—especially for kids being picked up by buses. Others say that a permanent Daylight Saving Time shift may hinder our ability to function during the day and make it harder to fall asleep at night.
When the Sun rises, its light activates important hormones in our body that help us be active, calm, and focused. When the Sun sets, darkness releases a different hormone—melatonin—which helps us go to sleep.
Scientist and sleep medicine practitioner Dr. Kin Yuen suggests that permanent Daylight Saving Time may cause increased metabolic issues (diabetes, hypoglycemia, and weight gain) as well as greater fatalities. Learn more from the video below:
Nine Clocks You Still Have To Adjust Manually
Why Do Leaves Change Color?
When to expect peak foliage in your state.
6 More popular leaf peeping destinations!
What are your thoughts about Daylight Saving Time?
Do you think the proposed Daylight Saving Time is a good idea?
Coln
Why not make standard time permanent? The safety of kids going to school should be paramount.
I personally despise getting up in the dark!!! I understand those who would like to have extra daylight after a long day at work, but I don't believe we function as well or are as healthy when we force ourselves out of natural rhythms. I believe
it is too costly economically and mentally and that we should remain in standard time ALL year!!!
Change the clock 1/2. Hr and keep it permanently. So we don't to adjust ourselves 2 / yr
Quit changing the time. It's time has come and gone…we will adjust
I like the time like it is right now. When you work a full-time job but have a farm you have to take care of when you get home it is nice to have some time in the light. Animals are gone to bed and don"t like to eat in the dark. We have children that need to get outside and play. Get the amount of vitamin D you need from the sun. Go catch a fish for supper, Hunt for deer put it in the freezer to feed your family. Get the vegetables out of the garden and put them up. You can only do so much on a weekend. Think of others not just yourself. We live off the land!!!
Keep standard time! Sunshine in the morning gets you up and moving, as it should, and sunset calms you down and the whole world gets quieter. It's the way our bodies work. It's unnatural to have daylight until almost 10 p.m.
M.E. Fitzmaurice
I'm favor of permanent daily saving time.
I love the idea of not being able to lose much needed sleep during the "spring forward" time and hopefully settle into standard time. One thing not mentioned in this article is that the days, under standard time, get longer and there is more light. But no one thinks of that. It's not that we don't have light it's that the light is exactly where it needs to be. And who wouldn't welcome less sunlight during the summer in the evening. No one thinks about the heat at the end of a summer day that just doesn't get cooler until ten or eleven o'clock. I love the idea that we will be living according to nature's time and not manufacturing our own. And some of those who say that it's a welcome relief for those who work. Who are those? We don't center our lives on those who work in offices, but we center our lives around nature without complaint or at least we should.
Sun rise and sun set will occur no matter how we play with the hands on a clock. Just stop playing with it, keep it standard time, as it has been since the first clock was invented, and we will adapt.
You say that if the permanent DST is passed by the House and signed by the president, March, 2023 will be the last time we change our clocks. What about Arizona and Hawaii? Will they be required by federal law to switch to DST?
Especially as I've gotten older I've come to hate the time switch to Daylight Saving Time. My body simply does not adjust to it, even through all the months I have to live with it, which are more months now than we used to have to live with it. It definitely screws up my body's internal clock. I think there are many things "the powers that be" put in place to keep the population – us – deliberately off-balance and this is one of those things. I won't list all the others here.
I would LOVE to go back to permanent Standard Time. People who like to stay up late and party will still do it. But the rest of us that like to move through our lives more closely aligned with sunrise and sunset would benefit greatly from permanent Standard Time.
This morning I thought I heard children outside at 6:30, when it was pitch black. I thought I was imagining things but when I looked out, there was a school bus. This wouldn't be the first corner for that bus, either. Why do children have to leave home in the dark so adults can play outdoors after work? I am all for going back to standard time and staying there.
Would prefer standard time year round.
I would rather just have standard time year around if people don't want to change it. I hate walking the dog in the dark. Where I live it's not that safe. Right now 6 am is pitch black still. I don't think the extra light at night matters in the Winter. It's cold and gloomy with little sun anyways.
Agree with keeping standard time
Betty Broom
Reply to James
Standard time for Me .
wahoonc
Move the time 1/2 an hour up in the Spring and leave it alone. Best (and worst) of both.
Frances Bailey
stay with one time, we do not need it to change.
Benjamin Kinney
I think we should keep on standard time year round
Farmers' Almanac
Reply to Benjamin Kinney
Hi Benjamin, Thank you for you sharing your opinion! We appreciate hearing your perspective.
Elenute Nicola
Keep daylight savings time (or return to standard), but stop changing.
Reply to Elenute Nicola
I totally agree!!!!!!!
Judy DeChellis
I'm a bus driver. I would rather pick up my high school kids after the sun starts to come up instead of picking them up in the dark.
Sandi Duncan
Reply to Judy DeChellis
Totally agree Judy!
Just make the schoolday start an hour later
diane walters
You're not taking into consideration the hoops parents have to jump through already. Try telling the boss you're going to change your hours to 9am or 10am and work until 6pm or 7pm. What good will that do for families and business? That extra hour in the evening will be spent indoors at work. Families will be eating dinner at 8pm or 9pm. What about after school activities where mom or dad have to drive the kids to practice? Bad idea.
I say we just jump ahead 8 hours and screw everyone over… time is just a made up construct.
Reply to Mike
Time is real. The way we measure it is a construct.
Would like it to stay standard time year round. Hate day light savings. Not natural.
James Kennett Chandler
I would like to stay on DST all year long!
What was the country like way before this daylight saving time and standard time back in the 1600s, 1700s, 1800s?
Why just go back to the way it was before this jumping mess started.
Pam Toll
hello i used to live in south Fl.. miami specifically. after growing up in the midwest chicago area i was shocked to find that there is NO DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME IN FL…right next to the Atlantic and along the coast. i couldnt figure it out but its true.. so why isnt there a DLST in FL? and HOW does the EST continue onwards
Susan Higgins
Reply to Pam Toll
Hi Pam, a lot of people feel the same way you do!
???? I live in Central Florida and there most certainly IS Daylight Saving Time, and there has been since I moved down here in the 80's. When Rick Scott was Governor he started the petition for the Sunshine Act in Florida for the state to be on permanent DST. He and Marco Rubio are still pushing for it now that it's gone country-wide.
Jerry Myers
Indiana said it was for making more money. Really a joke for the politicians. Stay on the later evening hours and be HAPPY!
Juan Gomez
Perhaps it's safer for students to wait for a bus or travel to school in daylight. I refer to later daylight hours as golfers time. I would bet if it's put to a public vote that most people people would vote to abolish
DST.
Goldie Ryun
Reply to Juan Gomez
Get rid of daylight saving time, leave it at standard time all year round
Come Spring 2022, let's compromise. We can "Spring Forward" just 30 minutes to gain a bit more sunlight in the evening while keeping 30 minutes more daylight in the morning. And if we make this adjustment permanent, we'll never have to "Fall Back" again.
John Zimmer
Reply to Lyn
I have been saying and wishing for this for years, it makes the most sense.
Saskatchewan is on DST year round. We have our daylight in the evening year round. Be careful what you wish for, sunrise at 9:16 am is soul sucking.
Robert Glasemann
How about changing it a 1/2 an hour and leave it that way forever. This way everyone gets a little of what they want
Reply to Robert Glasemann
I like that thought! Good thinking.
Denise St. Georges
I agree with Susan Bates,leave the as it is!!!!
Kimberly Barlow
I understand a lot of people hate 'spring forward' and 'fall back' but to me it makes sense to do so. I get excited for nights during the fall and winter and excited for days during the summer and spring. I kind of wish that both would just be left as is and we could just grumble about it instead of trying to change something we have no control over.
I live it when we fall back. I love when it gets dark early. I like the sun but don't care for the heat so much. Been told I need toobe to Alaska. Wish I was able to move there. Maybe one day
Last edited 1 year ago by Chris
They should leave the time alone
Helpful Hint…
Catch the Rain!
Rainwater is a great way to conserve water and save money by reusing it to water plants and lawns. There are elaborate rain catchers you can buy, but a big barrel works too. Just be sure to cover the barrels or put a screen over to keep leaves and other debris from falling in. Cover the barrel when full to prevent overflow.
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