Daylight Saving Time in the United States is about to end!! And even though we hate changing the clock every year, on Sunday, November 2, at two in the morning we will have to, as always, set the clocks back one hour to return to standard time. That said, Arizona and Hawaii, how lucky you are!
Brighter sunrises and sunsets that arrive much earlier, every year it sparks the same debate, what for? Well, we are going to tell you what the time change is for, you don’t have to worry because most electronic devices change the time automatically! Of course, the kitchen clock with hands you will have to change yourself.
Goodbye, Daylight Saving Time
That’s right, everything comes to an end and summer is already saying goodbye. This year, Daylight Saving Time began on March 9, when we set the clocks forward one hour, surely you also remember the chaos like every year. Eight months later, it is time to return that hour, on November 2. In theory, we gain sixty extra minutes of sleep (or partying, depending on where you are) although in exchange the afternoons get darker earlier and the days seem shorter… Very winter-like.
The goal of this system was to make better use of sunlight in the warm months, but when going back to standard time, the nights get longer and the day is much shorter (of light, it still lasts 24h).
Changes in routine
There will be more natural light in the morning, you can have your coffee with daylight, but leaving work or class and it already being dark makes those of us who depend emotionally on the sun feel pretty sad…
According to some studies, there are changes in sleep, mood drops, depression or even effects on cardiovascular health. That is why every year the same debate comes back about keeping it or ending it once and for all.
States that don’t change the time
Not the whole country goes through this ritual, there are some lucky ones like Hawaii and almost all of Arizona where Daylight Saving Time does not apply. The same happens in territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Marianas, where the same time is kept all year round.
The only exception within Arizona is the Navajo Nation, which does adopt the change, creating a curious situation of time division within the same state.
Why don’t they apply it?
Everything has its explanation, in Arizona, for example, summer afternoons are so hot that extending sunlight made no sense, and since 1968 they decided to stay with standard time. In the Caribbean and Pacific territories, the geographic position means that the hours of sun vary less throughout the year, so they also don’t need the change.
When will it be
This year’s change will be on November 2 (at 02:00AM), but in 2026 it is already marked: Daylight Saving Time will begin on March 8 and end on November 1.
Debate continues
In Congress, it has been proposed several times to end this system, many believe it causes more problems than benefits but others believe that it is mainly still used to save light. For citizens, it is a mess, let’s be clear. That said, we prefer more hours of sun, what do you prefer?
Remember, next November 2 we return to winter time. More light in the mornings, less in the afternoons. At 03:00AM it will once again be 02:00AM, so decide what you are going to do with that repeated hour!