It’s Time to Fall Back: Daylight Saving Time Is Ending

This weekend it’s time to “fall back”. At 2:00am on November 3rd, we turn our clocks back one hour.

Some people look at this as gaining an hour of sleep. But, in the days that follow, this is me:

Adrienne Hedger

That one-hour difference really messes me up. For the first week I’m ready for bed by 6:00 pm and I wake up way too early in the mornings. It turns out that I am not alone.

Did you know that the time changes have been linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular issues, and depression? Yikes! Disrupted sleep patterns cause all kinds of issues like more car accidents and even strokes.

So, why do we do it? Time changes began in 1918 to conserve energy use during World War I. They called it “War Time”. Studies have shown that we’re really not saving much energy. That may be why Hawaii and Arizona have opted out of time changes (and also: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands).

In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which established a uniform daylight-saving time throughout the U.S. The Uniform Time Act states that we must observe the federally-mandated start and end dates for time changes (although there are bills that are trying to do away with all time changes, they haven’t gained enough momentum in the past).

The point of the “Fall Back” is to give us more daylight in the morning and less in the evening. If you’re not an early riser, you may miss the whole point and just notice that the days have grown darker. The shorter, darker days can cause depression or SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) in some people.

Experts suggest that we get plenty of sunshine in the morning to combat the darkness. Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest will laugh at that. Sunshine? What is that? There are plenty of resources available that mimic sunlight though. There are lamps, visors, and even glasses that bathe you in light. They’re worth a try if you’re suffering. In Europe (where the winters are long and dark) candles are in most homes along with light strings, and plenty of lamps. If we fill our homes with light, the darkness will not win.