Most Americans are preparing to gain an extra hour of sleep as daylight saving time comes to an end, bringing darker afternoons and renewed debate over the twice-yearly ritual. Clocks officially turn back an hour at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, ushering in standard time that will remain in place until March 14, when the nation springs forward again.
The biannual transition continues to draw widespread public dissatisfaction. An AP-NORC poll conducted last year revealed that only 12 percent of American adults favor the current system, while nearly half oppose it. Public preference largely leans toward retaining extra daylight in the evening for after-work or school activities, though health organizations strongly advocate for a different approach.
Prominent health groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have long urged lawmakers to adopt standard time year-round. Medical experts argue that standard time aligns more closely with human biology and natural solar patterns, particularly during winter months when the sun rises later. Brighter mornings and reduced evening light are considered essential for maintaining healthy circadian rhythms, making it easier to wake up and sustain consistent sleep patterns.
The human brain relies on a master clock governed by exposure to sunlight and darkness to regulate its roughly 24-hour circadian cycle. Morning light is vital for synchronizing this internal clock, while evening exposure to natural or artificial light delays the surge of the drowsiness-inducing hormone melatonin. This circadian cycle influences far more than sleep, extending its reach to heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism, and stress hormones.
While many people adjust to the time shift as easily as recovering from jet lag, the transition poses distinct challenges. Even a one-hour clock adjustment can disrupt sleep schedules when school and work start times remain fixed. The spring transition, which introduces darker mornings and lighter evenings, has been linked in past studies to short-term increases in car crashes and heart attacks. During autumn and winter months, individuals with seasonal affective disorder frequently struggle with the shorter days and diminished sunlight.
Shift workers and chronically sleep-deprived individuals often find the transition particularly difficult. Public health data indicates that roughly one in three U.S. adults fails to get the recommended minimum of seven hours of nightly sleep, while more than half of U.S. teenagers fall short of the eight-hour benchmark on weeknights. Chronic sleep deprivation is closely tied to numerous health issues, including heart disease, obesity, and cognitive decline.
To ease the transition, health professionals recommend gradually adjusting bedtimes by 15 minutes in the days leading up to the switch and seeking out morning sunlight to help reset the body clock. Most countries worldwide do not observe daylight saving time, and within the United States, Hawaii and most of Arizona remain permanently on standard time.
Meanwhile, legislative efforts to alter the system continue to resurface in Washington. The United States previously experimented with permanent daylight saving time during the 1970s, though the trial lasted less than a year amid public backlash. More recently, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Sunshine Protection Act over the summer to establish permanent daylight saving time. The proposal has drawn support from political figures, including Donald Trump, who has pressed reluctant senators to back the measure.
