Daylight saving time ended today. Why did the clock go back an hour?
By Amanda Kooser | Published: 2025-11-02 09:00:00 | Source: CNET
Daylight Saving Time ends today, with the official time change at 2 a.m. While it was still light enough for trick-or-treating on Friday, the time change occurred two days after Halloween, when most of the United States set clocks back one hour.
Time shift is notorious for disrupting sleep patterns and schedules. Some politicians defend Cancel time changes And the permanent adoption of daylight saving time, or DST. If you also don’t like getting dark early every day, just remember that brighter evenings will return in early March.
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When does daylight saving time end?
Daylight saving time in the United States ends at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 2. It will return at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 8. The end of daylight saving time has the tagline “We’re going backwards,” while in March, we’re going “going forward.”
The United States is not alone in observing daylight saving time. Check this out List of other countries Which uses daylight saving time, as well as start and end dates.
Daylight saving time versus standard time
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The official US Time website shows where the time zone boundaries are.
The exact start dates for daylight saving time and standard time change slightly. Daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November with the return to standard time.
We spend about eight months of the year on daylight saving time. We can thank the Uniform Time Act of 1966 for bringing some order to a complex history of time changes in the United States.
“Motivated by transportation improvements, this law imposed standard time within existing time zones and established a permanent system of uniform daylight saving time, including dates and times for twice-yearly commutes,” the Bureau of Transportation Statistics states in History of time zones.
The history of the country’s time zones dates back to the railway boom of the late 19th century. Daylight saving time officially came into effect in 1918, but its implementation was not consistent until 1966. The country experimented with a year-round system Daylight saving time In January 1974 under President Richard Nixon as a way to address the energy crisis. Things didn’t go well. Congress and President Gerald Ford restored standard time in October 1974.
If you really hate time changes, consider moving to Arizona (excluding the Navajo Nation) or Hawaii. These states operate on standard time year-round and their residents do not have to deal with the effects of the change on physical and mental health. Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands are also skipping daylight saving time.
Sleep experts search for standard timing throughout the year
Organizations such as National Sleep FoundationThe American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Circadian Research Society have joined forces in calling for permanent standard time, saying it’s better for human biology.
“There is a mismatch between the outside world and our internal clocks during daylight saving time, which can lead to some negative health consequences,” says Joseph Dzierzewski, M.D., senior vice president for research and scientific affairs at the National Sleep Foundation.
Dzierzewski cites mental health concerns and an increase in cardiovascular events and drowsy driving. He also talks about safety issues with young children walking to school or sitting at bus stops in the dark. These safety issues were a big reason why permanent daylight saving time was not continued in 1974.
Will we get rid of these time changes forever?
Time changes are not common. October 2024 YouGov poll (PDF link), which surveyed more than 1,100 adults in the United States, found that 63% of them would like to cancel the clock change. Only 17% wanted to keep the time changes, and 20% were not sure.
Efforts to end time changes failed to pass into law. The bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, which would have made daylight saving time permanent, passed the Senate in 2022 but went no further. The bill’s sponsors are still pushing for it.
“It’s not just an inconvenience — changing our clocks also has a very real impact on our economy, our health, and our happiness,” said Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts in a renewed call. Passage of the bill In 2024.
While many people agree to eliminate time changes, the divide between daylight saving time and standard time remains. Standard Time may have a small image problem compared to Daylight Saving Time.
“Part of the problem is that people associate daylight saving time with summer. People love summer, right?” Dzierzewski said. “But the simple fact is that we would still be in summer if we were in permanent standard time.”
President Donald Trump has criticized the time changes in 2024 Truth is a social function: “The Republican Party will do everything it can to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but it shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient and extremely expensive for our nation.”
State-level bills and resolutions have not yet had real-world impacts. Politicians remain divided over whether they want permanent daylight saving time or standard time. Dzierzewski hopes that permanent standard time will prevail. “This is the first time in several years that I’ve seen more legislation introduced at the state level to support permanent standard time as a solution,” he said.
If you want the time changes to end and want to advocate for daylight saving time or standard time, contact your state and national representatives and voice your opinion.
Set your body clock for daylight saving time
Daylight Saving Time is rolling in, now it’s a matter of figuring out how to deal with it. It’s not just about time change day.
“You’re in a better position to deal with the effects of clock changes if you have good overall sleep health,” Dzierzewski said. He recommends exposure to bright light in the morning, physical activity during the day, eating meals at regular times and practicing a relaxation routine at night.
The majority of Americans struggle to get the 7 to 9 hours of sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation for most adults. A CNET poll found that more than half of U.S. adults use some method to deal with sleep-related challenges. Check out some expert-backed tips to improve your sleep quality.
“If you’re doing these healthy sleep behaviors, you’ll probably be more resilient to some of these changes,” Dzierzewski said. “If you had a bad night’s sleep to begin with, you’ll probably feel a little more sleepy.”
Establishing a better sleep routine may take some time. There are two things you can do in direct response to the time change. Dzierzewski suggests adjusting your bedtime and wake-up time gradually before making the change. For example, you can change your schedule by 15 minutes each day and make it easier for you to work on daylight saving time. He also recommends getting a good dose of bright morning light on the day of the time change to help set your internal body clock.
Think of daylight saving time as another kind of wake-up call, one that can motivate you to evaluate your sleep routine and quality and make positive changes. Start with these six simple habits. Don’t forget to change your watches. Do this the night before, and you won’t have to worry about it later.
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