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Turn Back Your Clock, It’s The End Of Daylight Saving Time

By Charisse Van Horn
Published on: 13:39 PST, Oct 31, 2015

Turn back your clock tonight. It’s the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST), and those who are out late trick or treating or enjoying Halloween parties, are certain to appreciate an extra hour of sleep. While many people are accustomed to Daylight Saving Time, not everyone understands why it’s important to turn back your clock. There’s a saying that helps people remember the order of Daylight Saving Time. It is “spring ahead, fall back.” Daylight Saving Time typically begins in March, when civilians set their clocks ahead one hour, and Daylight Saving Time ends on the first Sunday in November, when civilians set the clocks back one hour. The purpose of turning back your clock one hour is to save energy. This year, Daylight Saving Time ends on Nov. 1, at 2 a.m., meaning the clocks will be set back one hour and the correct time will shift to 1 a.m.

While it might seem simple enough to spring ahead and fall back, and to make sure you turn back your clock, Daylight Saving Time has never been very simple. DST has been controversial, and to this day, there are many who would like to see the practice abolished. Laws surrounding when you should spring forward or turn back your clock have continually changed, as well as the proposed starting and ending Daylight Saving Time dates. The U.S. Navy has provided a resource for the start and end dates for Daylight Saving Time beginning in 2006 and continuing through 2025. Those who are interested in the history behind Daylight Saving Time may be interested in the Web Exhibits DST Congressional Research.

When you turn back your clock you are ensuring that you are operating on the same, standard time as everyone else. Interestingly, while many countries and regions practice Daylight Saving Time, not every region practices it. Most of Arizona, Hawaii, Guan, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, do not practice Daylight Saving Time. Those who do turn their clocks back are ensuring that everyone is operating on the same time. Just think of how confusing it would be in one city if everyone operated on a different time. Bus schedules would be messed up, no one would know if a store was open or closed, bank hours would be confusing and every business would either gain or lose customers based upon the fluctuating hours. Though it’s true that when you turn back your clock you are saving energy by enjoying longer daylight hours, you are also making sure you are operating on a unified time schedule. When you turn back your clock or set your clock ahead, you are participating in an energy-saving program that has been part of the United States for over a century.

Each year, on the second Sunday in March, those areas that participate in Daylight Saving Time will turn their clocks ahead from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. You will turn back your clock on the first Sunday in November, from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. Daylight Saving Time helps the country work in a cohesive manner while avoiding confusion and ensuring that everyone functions on the same time schedule.

Daylight Saving Time can throw a child’s or adult’s bedtime schedule into havoc. While the purpose of Daylight Saving Time is to save energy, you might find that when you turn back your clock, you could still be tired from the weekend activities. If need be, plan on going to sleep early on Sunday night, as to ensure everyone is well rested and ready on Monday morning, even when you turn back your clock.

[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]

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