Daylight saving time 2024 is around the corner, and we’re about to “spring ahead.”
Losing that hour of sleep along with being on a new schedule can be jarring to your body. The clocks may be changing by just an hour, but it can still have a big impact on your day — and your health.
That’s because the change causes a phase shift of our circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock, and exacerbates the chronic sleep deficiency Americans already experience, Dr. Carol Ash said on TODAY.
The effects are particularly evident in the spring, when people face a greater risk of heart attack and stroke in the days after losing one hour of sleep. There are also more car accidents, medical errors and hospital admissions.
To help make the adjustment a little easier, experts recommend going to bed a bit earlier in the days leading up to the change to prepare. They also suggest getting at least 15 minutes of morning sunshine when you wake up.
However you feel about the clocks changing, it helps to know a little more about why we do this every year — and why some sleep experts are calling for the practice to end.
When is daylight saving time in 2024?
Daylight saving time 2024 starts on March 10, 2024, when the clocks skip from 2:00 a.m. to 3 a.m. Daylight saving time 2024 lasts until Nov. 3, 2024, when clocks go from 2:00 a.m. back to 1 a.m.
Daylight saving time is an annual practice affecting most but not all Americans. It starts every year on the second Sunday in March and ends every year on the first Sunday in November, when we return to standard time.
How does daylight saving time work?
Daylight saving time works by moving clocks one hour ahead in order to have more sunlit hours in the evening during the warmest-weather months, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
This allows us to maximize the amount of sunlight we get while we’re awake. The effect is more noticeable the farther you are from the equator, meaning northern states willfeel it…
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