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Daylight Saving Time 2024: 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 2024?

The second Sunday in March is when Daylight Saving Time begins in most areas of the US, so in 2024 we will “spring forward” one hour on Sunday, March 10, 2024, 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 2024?

The first Sunday in November is when Daylight Saving Time ends in most areas of the U.S., so in 2024 we “fall back” one hour and return to Standard Time on Sunday, November 3, 2024, 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 extra 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 United States 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?

Many people feel like they lose an hour when daylight saving time starts.

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?

Closeup of the head of a statue of Benjamin Franklin.

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:

Keep Exploring

Nine Clocks You Still Have To Adjust Manually

Join The Discussion!

What are your thoughts about Daylight Saving Time?

Do you think the proposed Daylight Saving Time is a good idea?

Let us know in the comments below!

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Debbie Walden

Changing the time in March is ridiculous!!! Go back to April where it’s less painful. Or don’t do it at all.

LauraBuckley

Prefer standard time.
DST although only an hour change seems to have a much longer physical and mental effect than anticipated.
Really dislike the clock changing and the disruption it causes.

Heather

This seems to be a very common sentiment!

Sherrywolfe

I think texas should stop changing time back and forward leave it one or the two

Jo Thomas

I think the state should leave alone and let us have the long days.

Lisa Troxel

Adjust your time. No matter what sun out at 9pm when its 90° is of no benefit to us.

Vishi Srinivasan

Time change. Please stick with the standard time through out the year like Arizona and Hawaii. Anytime we spring forward our body messes up so badly that it affects our health, we are able to eat properly, and we are unable to sleep properly. sometimes we are also unable to maintain our health properly when our mood and mind goes out of control. Please pass the law to standard time as this has been going for years and this is just beyond ridiculous and kids also get cranky specially with spring forward. We as adults can not even tolerate it either.

Thanks,

Vishi Srinivasan

Sherrywolfe

Me too agree

Vishi Srinivasan

Time change

Kathy Akers

I’m in favor of permanent Standard Time.

Joan

I hate DST. My body knows light through God’s plan for us. Sunny all the time? NO! We all need rest and time to just sit and regroup. Light is burning during the summer months and we have to use our AC’s to combat the heat of a summer’s day. Leave it alone! It’s a bad idea that its time has come to abolish it for good.

Mary Ahrens

Why don’t we just split it and spring forward 30 minutes and then completely stop!
I live in Texas and it would make our evenings a little cooler and the mornings a little bit brighter.

ILONA C CRISP

I hate it, I have always hated it, and I will continue to hate it. What purpose does it serve, if any? Please, do away with Daylight Saving Time. NOW!!

Estelle S

I would prefer to eliminate DSL all together. Being 77 I remember years w/o it and the world kept on turning. Maube the country just need an additional time division between EST and CST.

Kurt Konrath

We live In Arizona for about 45 years now and Alabama for 5 years. Born in Chicago We’ve experienced both throughout our lives. We definitely do NOT like changing the Time. I’ll go with Mother Nature, don’t do anything regarding time changes. I’m a school bus driver in rural AZ the route is 60 miles long school start at 8:15 am so somebody is going to be in the dark. We just deal with it.

Nancy Collora

Put it to a vote in the next national election! Isn’t that why we have a democracy?

Michael G Manicone

Perhaps eliminating DST should be connected with a later start for schools. Children need more sleep; going to school later would help.Nothing is going to be ruined if it goes away, maybe our students will achieve on a higher level!

Judy Lacinak

I prefer Standard Time. It is healthier for all. Seeing school children leaving for school in the dark convinced me.

AngryRebel

Thank goodness I live in AZ! Don’t have to deal with DST and I feel that I am well adjusted, most days 🙂

Audrey Kobrs

Stay on standard time.

Last edited 4 months ago by Audrey Kobrs
Penny

I dread the twice a year challenge of playing with time. I’m older and it takes me forever to adjust to it. Our ancestors survived standard time and so will we. Love the joke about the blanket by the way!

Donna

I have always liked changing my clocks twice a year. Especially, in the Spring. It’s a signal that warmer weather is coming. No matter what time of the year we set the clocks forward or backward, it did not affect my sleep or job performance.

As a young student, I can remember going to school in the dark and coming home in the dark at different times of the year. We had long school days and long bus rides. Now, though, the time switches do not bother me. I just take them in stride as being part of life. I adapt. But, I’m human and can adapt. It’s not so easy for my dog and cat to adapt.

Carol Baker

I like the time changes but that’s how it’s been since I was a kid. But if I had to pick I’d say leave it on standard time and forget the DST.

Sunny D

Do not extend day light hours. I am designed to shine for a limited time. Signed: Sol.

Julie Crawford

I think Standard time permanently would be better.

Suzanne Kyle

I have opposed DST since it’s inception. Having young children who need to go to bed is more difficult when they can hear other children playing outside until dark — which has been as late a 9:45PM where I live. And it’s not just driving them to school or them catching the bus in the morning that is more dangerous, but I get concerned about those who walk. Some kids in our area walk along a farm to market road with no sidewalk and no street lights. Incredibly dangerous! Let’s just keep it at Standard Time!

Suzie

I agree with those who believe that we should keep standard time all year round. Every year when we return to DST I feel like I never get that one hour back that was lost. Time goes way too fast during DST. Stop messing with nature!

barbara

I think it’s better to have afternoon light and darker mornings throughout the winter. I believe the schools have been changing schedules to start later so the darker morning bus pick up shouldn’t be an issue. The other issues mentioned regarding health seems more of a problem because of changing the time twice a year. Just pass the law and make time permanent so we don’t have to change clocks twice a year.

Tim

Keep standard time year round. Year round DST was tried in the 70’s and there were too many issues for kids and workers in the mornings.

Jeannie

I believe that depression will improve

Heather

That seems to make a lot of sense – and there appears to be science behind the thought too!

Georgia

Just Pick a time and Land on it! This changing the clocks twice a year is nuts. Your wasting our time by flipping the clocks and people back and forth.

Errol Perrine

Quit changing the time

JoAnne

Leave the time alone. Stop messing with our bodies, it isn’t fair for young babies or any adult.

Last edited 1 year ago by JoAnne
Carol

Why do we continue to mess with Nature ~ Let it be ~

Farmers' Almanac

Hi Carol! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Many people in your community here seem to agree. ?

MariaRose

It is time to stop the biyearly clock changes because the reason it was done no longer is a reality. Congress needs to stop postponing the discussion and complete the measure, at least for the United States.

jeanne gough

I think we should change to daylight saving time in March for the final time!!!

Dee Reynolds

Staying with Standard Time all year round would make more sense. Everyone would sleep better, and children wouldn’t be waiting for school buses in the dark!

Tim

Yes I agree.

Judy Lacinak

I prefer eliminating DST! Watching neighborhood kiddos going to school in the dark is why I feel this way. We are retired so it does not affect us except for changing all the clocks.

Farmers' Almanac

Hi Judy! Thank you for joining our discussion here. We appreciate your thoughts.

Knittingna

The only issue I have is when the clocks don’t change in the fall it can be really dark in the morning. Like for me, when I was a child it was so dark for kids to walk to school they moved up the “fall back” date. I think people who don’t like the switching back and forth don’t think about how it affects others, just how it affects themselves. I don’t want kids to walk to school in he dark.

Last edited 1 year ago by Knittingna
Carole

To me, the benefits of leaving it alone far outweigh the minor inconvenience a couple days a year.

Erin

I’m not a fan cause it makes it harder to wake up in the morning. Especially if you have kids in school. Just leave it one way so we don’t have to screw up our sleep every 6 months and it take 3 months to get adjusted, just to do it all over again. lol

Laura B

I prefer standard time.
The change to daylight saving seems to unsettle my wake/sleep pattern especially as I’ve gotten older.
It takes longer and longer to adjust.

Farmers' Almanac

Hi Laura, It’s so true isn’t it? Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with your community here. ?

Estelle

I have lived in the US while changing clocks twice a year was the norm and while it was not. I do not like jumping back and forth twice a year and have a question.

Has the US ever considered changing the geographic width of the time zones in our country? Would adding a time Zone thus making the current ones smaller be a possible solution? Do we set our time zones or are they an international “thing”?

judiann

Just leave the time alone. I’m with the old Native American man. I’m old too, and it’s hard on us older bodies to have it switching back and forth.

Erin

Thank you!

Linda

The older I have become the harder it is for me to adjust. I wish they would just pick a time and stay with it so my body doesn’t have to keep going through these changes.

Cynthia

For loads of folks like me job hours are 6 AM to 4 PM. I wake up and drive to work in pitch black the entire year. The rest of the weekends I’m catching up on sleep. I see sunrises when I grab a vacation and go camping, very rarely.

karen blevins

Why not move the time only 30 min? A good compermise?

Betty

Compromise

Myriam Pierre

I would like to state that those business folks and others ,what do they say when the year moves from spring to fall then winter,if they are not aware that the earth tilts as it travels around the sun?This craziness of wanting permanent Daylight Savings Time is only about greed.As for those so called studies,it is limited.They need to consider that these days,while it is true people want to stop hanging the clocks,the Sun and the moon,are weary if being manipulated.They want to function the natural way and not by mankind.The winter solstice has been here since the very early days of mankind They refuse to believe that time us something that does not belong to them.Also these studies are not accurate.It gasnit been shown that people excercise more during daylight.Have they noticed that there are now more obese people in the spanof these last thirty years?I think it needs to studied before stating and legislating what is not complete,all for their own financial gain.Constituents need to send personal correspondence about the time change.This will not happen quickly.

Lisa Galloway

Would do away with DST does absolutely nothing, you can’t save time!

Farmers' Almanac

Hi Lisa! Thanks for sharing your thoughts here. We appreciate hearing your perspective. ?

Coln

Why not make standard time permanent? The safety of kids going to school should be paramount.

Joni

I agree 100% – STD time.

Donna

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!!!

Chitra

Change the clock 1/2. Hr and keep it permanently. So we don’t to adjust ourselves 2 / yr

Paisley

Quit changing the time. It’s time has come and gone…we will adjust

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