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When Does Daylight Saving Time Start?

An alarm clock sits on a wooden counter.
Bohbeh/Shutterstock.com

Unfortunately, the time has come to “spring forward,” and while, yes, we’ll all be losing an hour of sleep, the days will soon be brighter. If you’re tired of the darkness of winter, that lost hour might be worth it, but when exactly do you need to adjust your clocks?

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 12 at 2:00 a.m. and will end on Nov. 5, at 2:00 a.m.

The time jump is sometimes referred to as “Spring Forward” because time essentially jumps ahead by an hour when it happens. The idea is that Daylight Saving Time allows people to utilize their, well, daylight better. It extends the time the sun is out into the summer months.

Hatch Restore

Try a gentle wake up alarm to make the transition easier.

Yes, you will need to do it this year. You might have heard rumblings of states passing laws to end the time change, and 19 have successfully done so. However state laws can’t go into effect until federal law changes, and under federal law, clock switching is still in place.

But that doesn’t mean some aren’t trying to change that. Last year, Senator Marco Rubio introduced the Sunshine Protection Act which would see the United States stay in Daylight Saving Time all year. While it passed the Senate last year with unanimous consent, it stalled in the House and expired. Rubio, however, has introduced the bill, but whether it’ll pass and become federal law is yet to be seen.

As of now, you should start planning your sleep routine for March 12 because Daylight Saving Time is happening and you’ll probably want to mitigate the effects of losing that hour of sleep.

Shea Simmons Shea Simmons
Shea Simmons is the Editor In Chief of LifeSavvy. Previously, she worked as a freelance writer with a focus on beauty and lifestyle content. Her work has appeared in Bustle, Allure, and Hello Giggles. Read Full Bio »
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