(Lauren Bedosky/ Everyday Health) — Before heading to bed on October 31, many North Americans will set their clocks back one hour to prepare for the end of daylight saving time (DST). In the states that change clocks (Arizona and Hawaii are the only U.S. states that do not), the time always gets set back an hour on the first Sunday in November, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. This year DST officially ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1.
This practice of moving the clocks forward in the spring and then back to standard time in the fall (remember: fall back, spring forward) was originally conceived to optimize natural daylight hours, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. The United States, however, adopted the practice during World War I for energy conservation.
If you find yourself rejoicing each year over the extra hour of sleep, we hear you. If you’ve spent the better part of 2020 managing multiple jobs and children at home, figuring out how to educate 7-year-olds on Zoom, or doing any of the other tough work that helps keep those in your community well, you deserve many extra hours of sleep. (…)