Spring(ing) Forward Only to Fall Back Later
Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. this year started March 13 and it will end on November 6. In other words, eight months ago people living in the United States were robbed on one hour’s worth of a precious commodity — sleep.
Now they get to have it back (without interest of course).
Because on the early morning of November the 6th, sleep deprived Americans will get to have that hour back. Well, except if you live in the State of Arizona or outside the Mainland (i.e. Hawaii, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam), where the population didn’t really do a spring forward.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) Explained
And this all starts every Spring Season, when many Americans wake up one fateful Sunday morning to realize that, they haven’t overslept but they still find themselves late for work, school, church, a game, a date or an appointment. That is, if they didn’t move their watches and alarm clocks forward one hour ahead before they went to bed.
Hence this is called Spring Forward.
Later on that same year, in Autumn or in the Fall Season, these Americans who quite a few might still be reeling from the lack of sleep or the morning shock from eight months back will have to reverse the process and turn the time and their body clocks one hour back (hence the name, Fall Back).
But don’t be surprised, that many Americans will still end up late for their appointments that morning as they would most probably waste that extra hour on something other than sleep anyway.
Fall Back — The Most Awaited Day of Year
Nobody in their right mind ever looks forward to Spring Forward Day but for most people who go to school, work or otherwise have to get up early in the morning,
Fall Back Day is a glorious day and is among the most awaited days of the year. For many, this will probably be ranked with the likes of Black Friday, Super bowl Sunday, Cyber Monday and Kids Eat Free Days.
The Exact Time That the Time Will Change
For this year, the U.S.A. will officially change their clocks at 2 am on the morning of November 6. Of course people do not have to wait that late because they can always change their watches the night before they go to bed or on the morning when they wake up.
Here is a link to view and calculate the dates we need to change our clock (Spring Forward and Fall Back) in the year 2012, 2013, 2014 and all the way up to the year 2099 (for the USA and the European Union). When Do We Change Our Clocks?
Do We Still Need Daylight Saving Time?
In our modern era today, where nobody seems to sleep anymore and when we have our lights and our gadgets turned on 24/7, where night is day, and daytime could be anytime we want, is there still a real need for all this hassle of moving our clocks forward and then back again?
Now for everyone wanting to learn about the history, the reasons for and against it and just a discourse on the need to still systematically change our clocks or otherwise to continue on doing this hundred year old tradition, here is a link to an excellent video which you might find very interesting if not enlightening — especially if you live in that part of the world where most people have generally no idea what Daylight Saving Time is all about or don’t need one (good for you). Or if you just want to do something on that extra hour, click on the link below.
Daylight Saving Explained (Video Link)
Should There Be a Debate if We Still Need to Change our Clocks or Not?