Time changes this weekend
Published 1:22 pm Friday, November 4, 2022
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Daylight saving time ends this Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2 a.m., after which Americans will set their clocks back one hour. That gives us all an extra hour of sleep — but it also means fewer daylight hours.
Until March, that is, when DST starts up all over again.
Earlier this year the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would spring the clock ahead an hour year-round. Sen. Marco Rubio, who reintroduced the measure, claimed that permanent daylight saving time would improve productivity and health and decrease seasonal depression, childhood obesity and automobile accidents.
“The biannual transition of ‘spring forward’ and ‘fall back’ disrupts circadian sleeping patterns, causing confusion, sleep disturbances and even an elevated risk to heart health,” the Florida Republican said of the bill, now sitting in the House of Representatives.
Many states, including Tennessee, have passed similar measures but must wait for Congress to make its move to enact any changes.
The return to standard time offers Americans an extra hour of sleep, but since sunset comes earlier it can trigger seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that can manifest as lethargy, an ability to concentrate and changes in eating and sleeping habits.
