Springing forward isn’t all that easy

It’s almost time to spring forward. Daylight saving time 2021 begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14, meaning you’ll set your clock to 3 a.m. at that time.

Most people think daylight saving time lasts for half the year. But it actually is in effect about eight months, ending this year on Sunday, Nov. 7.

It’s been that way since 2007 when Congress declared that daylight saving time begins in the United States on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

The observance is often wrongly called “daylight savings time” with an extra “S,” but its name comes from the idea of saving daylight.

Daylight saving time isn’t observed the same way—or at all—in some parts of the country.

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 standardized time zones and daylight saving practices around the United States, but it allowed individual states to pass laws exempting themselves. Arizona and Hawaii are the only states that do not observe the time change.

Some state lawmakers are fighting to kill the time change and retain daylight saving time all year round. California voted to make daylight saving time permanent in 2018, and Washington did the same in 2019. But federal law would have to change for these measures to take effect.

Springing forward can be difficult because you lose an hour of sleep.

Many experts have pointed to the time change’s adverse health effects. For example, a recent study by the National Institutes of Health found that around 150,000 Americans experienced physical health problems caused by the biannual time changes.

According to health experts, losing that one hour of sleep can affect productivity, concentration, and both physical and mental health. Sleep experts advise getting to bed earlier. You can ease your body into the time change by starting your nighttime routine 15 minutes earlier in the days leading up to the start of daylight saving time.

Wake up at the same time each morning to keep your sleep cycle more regular. Getting up at the same time is far more important than going to bed at the same time, though consistency on bedtime is certainly also important.

Being physically active is good for your health and it can help you sleep better, too.