It’s nearly time.
Each year, on the second Sunday of March, we adjust our clocks forward one hour for the time-honored tradition of daylight saving time.
With the date fast approaching, let’s breakdown what you need to know.
When is daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday of March, when clocks spring forward an hour.
For 2026, we’ll be adjusting our clocks forward on March 8 at 2 a.m. Sunrise and sunset will be about an hour later than the day before.
Is daylight saving time early this year?
A quick look at our calendars will show that March starts on a Sunday in 2026. That means daylight saving time, which falls on the second Sunday of the month, of March 8, is the earliest possible date it could fall on in 2026.
Same goes for November when we fall back. We’ll be setting the clocks back an hour on Nov. 1, 2026.
Why is there daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time was first formally enacted in the U.S. in 1918 and was put in place to give an extra hour of sunlight during the summer months. It was repealed after World War I, reinstated during World War II and then repealed again before the standardization of time was established in 1966.
Before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, which established a uniform daylight saving time, local governments could start and end daylight saving time as they desired. For five weeks a year Boston, New York and Philadelphia were not on the same time as Washington, D.C., Cleveland or Baltimore. Different daylight saving times also caused confusion for travelers going from the Midwest to Northeast.
In 2005, President George W. Bush extended the daylight saving time for an extra four weeks through an energy bill. Since 2007, daylight saving time has begun on the second Sunday of March and ended on the first Sunday of November.
Does daylight saving time affect your health?
Sleep experts say that daylight saving time impacts people’s circadian rhythm, which is the body’s 24-hour rhythm that determines when your body becomes sleepy.
When clocks “spring forward” in March, causing people to lose an hour of sleep, research has shown that a spike in fatal car accidents take place in the days immediately afterward. Studies have also shown an uptick in heart attacks and strokes after the March time change.
Loss of sleep is also linked to health issues, including heart disease, cognitive decline, obesity and numerous other problems.
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