Most Americans will lose an hour of sleep this weekend as Daylight Saving Time (DST) kicks off across the country. On Sunday (March 8), clocks will spring forward one hour at 2 a.m. local time, jumping straight to 3 a.m. The change affects most of the nation and marks the start of longer evening daylight hours that will last until November.

According to TIME, DST begins on the second Sunday in March each year for the states that observe it. That means sunrise and sunset will each shift one hour later starting Sunday (March 8). The change lasts more than half the year, until DST ends on Sunday (November 1), when clocks "fall back" one hour at 2 a.m.

Who Doesn't Change Their Clocks?

Not everyone participates. As reported by the Democrat and Chronicle, Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on Standard Time year-round and do not observe DST. The Navajo Nation, which sits within Arizona, is an exception — it does observe the time change. The U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands also skip the clock change.

Why Do We Do This?

The practice of changing clocks twice a year has roots going back more than a century. According to TODAY, DST was first adopted in the U.S. in 1918 as a way to conserve fuel during World War I. It was repealed, revived, and modified several times before the Uniform Time Act of 1966 made it a national standard. The most recent update came through the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which set the current start and end dates beginning in 2007.

Contrary to popular belief, DST was never designed to help farmers. In fact, farmers were among those who fought against it. "Most farmers are up well before the sun year-round," the American Farm Bureau Federation has noted. "A later sunset doesn't change when cows need to be milked, when chickens are fed or when crops need to be harvested."

Health Concerns

Many sleep and health experts have raised alarms about the twice-yearly clock change. TIME reports that disrupting sleep patterns and circadian rhythms can have real health consequences. Some studies have linked the spring time change to a higher risk of stroke and motor vehicle accidents.

"The spring time change leads to society-wide sleep deprivation," Jennifer Martin, former president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, previously told TIME.

Could DST Be Eliminated?

The push to do away with the clock change is not new. In 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would have made DST permanent. The bill stalled in the House and was never signed into law. A 2023 version of the act also went nowhere. At least 20 states have passed legislation or resolutions to permanently observe DST, but those states still need congressional approval to make it happen.

President Donald Trump said in December 2024 that he wanted to eliminate DST. Congress has not yet acted on that proposal, and the bi-annual clock change remains in place for 2026.

Most phones and computers will update automatically. Manual clocks — including those on stoves, microwaves, and wall clocks — will need to be reset by hand. Experts also recommend using the time change as a reminder to replace batteries in smoke alarms.

Unless the law changes, clocks will fall back again on Sunday (November 1), and DST will return on Sunday (March 14), 2027.

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