You wake up. The room is too dark. Or maybe it’s too light? You glance at your phone, then at the microwave, then back at your phone. They don't match. This is the biannual ritual of checking what is DST on a clock and wondering why on earth we still do this to ourselves. It feels like a collective fever dream where the entire country decides to lie about what time it is for six months.
Basically, Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of advancing clocks during warmer months so that darkness falls at a later clock time. In the United States, we "spring forward" an hour on the second Sunday in March. Then, we "fall back" on the first Sunday in November. It sounds simple enough.
But it isn't.
If you’ve ever felt like your brain was fogged over for a week after the switch, you aren't alone. It’s a massive disruption to our internal biological rhythms. We’re essentially forcing a nationwide bout of jet lag without the benefit of a vacation.
The Messy History of Changing the Time
Most people think Benjamin Franklin invented DST. That’s a myth. He wrote a satirical essay in 1784 suggesting Parisians could save money on candles by getting out of bed earlier, but he was mostly making fun of them for being lazy. The real push came much later from an entomologist named George Hudson in 1895. He wanted more daylight after his shift to go out and collect bugs.
He was serious.
Germany was the first to actually pull the trigger on it in 1916. They were looking for ways to conserve fuel during World War I. The U.S. followed suit in 1918, but it was so unpopular that it was repealed almost immediately after the war ended. It only became a permanent fixture of American life with the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Before that act, it was total chaos. Different towns could decide their own time zones. You could take a 35-mile bus ride from Steubenville, Ohio, to Moundsville, West Virginia, and pass through seven different time changes.
Can you imagine trying to catch a train back then?
The Farmers Don't Actually Like This
There is a weird, persistent belief that DST exists for farmers. It’s actually the opposite. Farmers have historically been the loudest opponents of the change. Cows don’t care what the clock says; they need to be milked at the same interval regardless of whether the government says it’s 6:00 AM or 7:00 AM.
The real lobby behind DST? Retailers.
When there is more light in the evening, people stop at shops and restaurants on their way home from work. They play more golf. They buy more charcoal for their grills. The golf industry once told Congress that an extra month of DST was worth hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Candy lobbyists also fought hard to extend DST into November so that kids would have more light for trick-or-treating, which supposedly increases candy sales.
Understanding What is DST on a Clock and How It Works
Technically, when we are in the "saving" period, we are on Daylight Time (like EDT or PDT). When we shift back in the fall, we return to Standard Time (EST or PST).
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Most modern clocks handle this for you. Your smartphone, your laptop, and your smart fridge are all synced to NTP (Network Time Protocol) servers. These servers tell your devices exactly when to jump. But your "dumb" clocks—the one on the oven, the analog watch on your wrist, or the clock in your 2012 Honda—require a manual touch.
It’s about shifting the "usable" light. By moving an hour of daylight from the morning (when most of us are asleep anyway) to the evening, we supposedly save energy.
Does it work?
Maybe not. Some studies, like those conducted by the Department of Energy, suggest a tiny saving of about 0.5% in total electricity per day. However, other researchers, like those who studied the change in Indiana in 2006, found that while lighting use went down, the use of air conditioning went up because it stayed hotter later in the evening. It’s a wash.
The Health Toll Nobody Wants to Talk About
If you feel miserable during the "spring forward" week, your body is telling you something important. Dr. Beth Malow, a neurologist and sleep expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has argued extensively that permanent Standard Time would be much better for human health than DST.
When we shift the clock, we are out of sync with the sun. Our bodies rely on "morning light" to reset our circadian rhythms. When that light comes later, it messes with our melatonin production and our cortisol levels.
The statistics are actually kind of scary:
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- Heart attacks increase by about 24% on the Monday following the spring time change.
- Fatal car accidents see a significant spike due to sleep deprivation.
- Workplace injuries increase in frequency and severity.
- Even "cyberloafing"—people wasting time on the internet at work—goes up because everyone is too tired to focus.
The "fall back" shift is generally easier on the body because we get an "extra" hour of sleep, but even that transition can trigger seasonal affective disorder (SAD) because the sun suddenly sets while many people are still at their desks.
Why Haven't We Stopped Doing This?
Every year, there is a push in Congress to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. You might remember the Sunshine Protection Act. It actually passed the Senate with unanimous consent in 2022, which is unheard of in modern politics. People were thrilled. No more changing clocks!
Then it stalled in the House.
The problem is that while everyone hates the change, nobody can agree on the solution. If we stay on permanent DST, the sun wouldn't rise in some parts of the country until nearly 9:00 AM in the winter. Kids would be waiting for school buses in pitch-black darkness. This happened once before. In 1974, the U.S. tried permanent DST during the energy crisis. It was so hated by parents concerned about child safety that it was repealed in less than a year.
The alternative is permanent Standard Time. This is what sleep scientists prefer. However, the business lobby hates it because early sunsets mean less spending. So, we stay stuck in this limbo of switching twice a year.
Arizona and Hawaii Figure It Out
Not everyone participates in the madness. If you live in Arizona (except for the Navajo Nation) or Hawaii, you don't care about what is DST on a clock. They stay on Standard Time all year. Arizona opted out because it’s already hot enough; the last thing they want is the sun staying up even later in the summer.
Preparing for the Next Shift
Since we are likely stuck with this for the foreseeable future, you have to manage it. You can't just ignore it and hope for the best.
Start by adjusting your schedule in increments. Three days before the "spring forward" Sunday, go to bed 15 or 20 minutes earlier each night. It sounds like something a nagging parent would say, but it actually works. Your internal clock is a delicate instrument. You can't just whack it with a hammer and expect it to keep perfect time.
Also, get outside as soon as you wake up on that first Monday. Natural sunlight is the strongest signal your brain has to stop producing melatonin. It tells your body, "Hey, the day has started, even if the clock feels wrong."
Don't rely on caffeine to bridge the gap. It might help you stay awake at 2:00 PM, but it will haunt you at 10:00 PM when you're trying to catch up on that lost hour. Keep it simple. Drink water. Go for a walk.
Actionable Next Steps
To handle the reality of DST without losing your mind, follow these steps:
- Check your non-connected devices the night before. Don't wait until Monday morning to realize your car clock is an hour off while you're rushing to a meeting.
- Audit your sleep hygiene. Use blackout curtains if the later sunset is keeping your kids awake, or use a light therapy box in the morning if you're struggling to wake up in the dark.
- Advocate if you care. If you're tired of the switch, look into the current status of the Sunshine Protection Act or similar state-level bills. Many states have passed "trigger" laws that will abolish the time change as soon as the federal government allows it.
- Listen to your body. If you feel sluggish, don't schedule a high-intensity workout or a major life decision for the Monday after the time change. Give yourself a 48-hour grace period to recalibrate.
The clock is just a tool. We invented it, and we can change it. Until we decide as a society to stop the back-and-forth, understanding how it impacts your biology is the only way to stay ahead of the curve.