Sharon Rhodes
Associated Press
On March 8, 2026, at 2 a.m., the majority of American citizens, or their digital devices, will set their clocks forward one hour, launching this year's daylight saving time. The practice continues despite the findings of the most recent Gallup poll, where 54% of United States citizens say they'd like it to end. Hawaii and most of Arizona are the exceptions to the rule, staying on standard time, which is the preferred time zone for 48% of the country.
In 2022 and again last year, proposals were put forth in Congress to end daylight saving time, but none of them passed. Nineteen states have submitted legislation in the last seven years to make DST permanent if the federal government allows it. But until Congress passes the Sunshine Protection Act, daylight saving time is here to stay.
The Gallup poll found 40% of Americans are okay with the biannual switch of the clocks. In a 2024 study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, scientists favored permanent standard time, as it aligns best with human circadian biology. Meanwhile, Stanford researchers say either permanent option is healthier than the back and forth twice a year, every year.
What's the point?
While daylight saving time may seem like it's been costing people sleep forever, the time adjustment is an American idea, first proposed by founding father Benjamin Franklin back in 1784. The practice got piecemeal acceptance until World War I. England instituted it in 1816, and the U.S. introduced the temporary time change across the nation in 1918, as an effort to conserve fuel by extending daylight working hours.
During World War II, the U.S. brought back daylight saving time. Dubbed War Time, Clocks were moved ahead one hour nationwide from Feb. 9, 1942, to Sept. 30, 1945, to conserve fuel and energy for defense production. After the war, some states and communities kept the practice, while others dropped it until 1966.
In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which established time zones for the country, a regulated railroad schedule and the standardization of DST changes in the spring and fall each year. In 2005, President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which moved the dates a little wider apart.
Clocking the chaos
Both time changes have negative effects on our bodies. For most people, these last up to five days. Recovery from the upcoming change often feels easier, in part because there's more sun. While most of the Western world also changes its clocks twice a year, more than 60% of countries use standard time all year.
While some tout the benefits of DST, science continues to prove them wrong. Researchers at Stanford estimate that permanent standard time would prevent some 300,000 cases of stroke per year, and keep 2.6 million people from struggling with obesity. They say the opposite, permanent daylight saving time would achieve about two-thirds of the same effect.
Doctors say they see more hospital admissions, elevated production of stress-induced inflammations and a heightened risk of mood disturbances. In 2020, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found 63% of Americans would prefer to eliminate seasonal time changes. More sun in the evening disrupts circadian rhythms. People go to bed later and subsequently get less sleep since work and school still start at the same time. More than half of the people polled experience tiredness following the switch.
Timing the fix
Flipping our clocks back and forth won't be going away for the foreseeable future. So the best approach is to try to mitigate the effects of the time changes. Here are some suggestions to manage the forward spring. A few of them are also helpful in the fall.
Prep your body
Finally, on the weekend of the switch, get a good breakfast, like cinnamon roll muffins. Then try to get outside as early as you can. More natural morning light can help preserve your circadian rhythm.
On the day
Even though technically the time change happens at 2 a.m., don't stay up. Set offline clocks ahead for an hour right before you hit the hay on Saturday, March 7. Online clocks, like on your phone, will adjust automatically at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8.
Since you're losing an hour of sleep, a daytime nap can sound great. And it will help, but you have to be strategic. Make sure it's a short nap, under 20 minutes, and do it in the early afternoon or right after dinner, not close to bedtime.
Another good sleep tip to implement year round: avoid caffeine, soda, alcohol and screens for 1-2 hours before bedtime. Enjoy a healthy snack, like three-ingredient oatmeal cookies, but don't eat too late. Let your body and your eyes enter a restful state even before you lie your head on the pillow.
Gain from the hour lost
Once the change is complete, don't neglect your vitamin D fix. Head outdoors for early morning sunlight the week after the time change. The bright light will help set your internal clock to the new time. But leave the sunglasses off. Your eyes need sunlight exposure, too.
If you can try not to overload your schedule for the first couple of days, just in case you're groggy from lack of sleep. It bears repeating: get a full 7-8 hours of sleep Sunday night after the change. Can't fall asleep? Get up and walk around, drink some water, then try again.
Consider supplementing your body's natural melatonin with a plant-derived supplement, no more than 0.3 milligrams. That's just enough to help you fall asleep without interfering with your body's natural hormone levels.
If you can, shift to a morning workout. Exercise in the morning raises your body temperature, which can increase your wakefulness and help reset your internal clock.
And one last year-round sleep tip: create a sleep sanctuary. Your bedroom, or at least your bed, should be a place for sleep and nothing else. Make it a quiet, dark, cool sleep space. Eat dinner at least a few hours before going to bed, and limit how many spicy or carb-heavy foods you eat after 6 p.m. If you need a snack, lean on proteins, like peanut butter protein balls.
Spring forward, fall back
Just because you're losing an hour's sleep doesn't mean it has to crush your day. Make the effort to prepare yourself and your environment, and you can navigate the time change just like any other day. And with any luck, you can look forward to the day when you can sleep through the night without worrying about having to change your clocks.