It’s time to spring forward!

Don’t miss church on Sunday! Oh, how sad it would be to miss a great worship experience by just an hour — because you forgot to “spring” your clock forward an hour and, therefore, overslept! But, it doesn’t have to be that way. Just remember to set your clocks ahead one hour before bed on Saturday.

Did you know?

The time change officially takes place at 2:00am on Sunday morning. That’s the moment when it suddenly becomes 3:00am. Even so, most folks simply choose to set their clocks ahead before heading to be on Saturday — though I have to admit I have stayed awake through Time Change more than once in my life.

Daylight Savings Time (DST) runs from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November in the United States. This has been the pattern since 2007. And, the the inquiring minds among us, the US Naval Observatory has made a chart available with the time change dates list through 2025.

The idea of Daylight Savings Time has been around for more than 100 years. It was used in a few places around the world before it was brought here in the early 1900s. It’s early use was inconsistent though, wreaking havoc on train times, bus times, and even broadcast networks because localities could pick and choose if and when they participated in the time change. This was all finally resolved with the passage of the Uniform Time Act of 1966. And for nearly 50 years, it’s been running like clockwork (pun intended). You can read more about the history of Daylight Savings Time here.

Getting ready for time change

For some folks, the time change messes with their internal clock as well. In fact, one study has tried to make a connection between time change and an increase in heart attacks. So what can we do to help our bodies make the transition more smoothly? Here are a few ideas:

1. Get up incrementally earlier in the week leading up to the time change. Getting up 10 minutes early, then 20 minutes early, and so on will get your body accustomed to the change. This will keep you from feeling like you lost an hour all at once.
2. Go to bed incrementally earlier in the week leading up to time change. This goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip, and again, I recommend 10 minute increments. This will also keep you from feeling like you’re “not tired” on Saturday when you’re trying to go to bed an hour earlier than normal.
3. Adjust meal times accordingly. In addition to sleep, our bodies rhythm is affected by when we eat. So, adjusting your mealtimes a little will also help to ease your body into the new normal.
4. Prepare mentally for the change. While there is debate in the world about whether or not DST is a good thing, don’t focus on that. Unless you’re a United States congressman, you probably don’t have much control over Daylight Savings Time anyway, so don’t focus on the loss of sleep and what-not. Instead, focus on what an extra hour of daylight means for you and your family. All spring and summer long we get to enjoy some extra daylight at BBQs, beaches, parks, and more. Mentally prepare for the fun that you’re going to have because of time change. It’s going to be great!

So, let’s do this. Be ready. Save the daylight.