We Answer Every Question You Have About Daylight Saving Time

Daylight saving time is confusing.

This weekend, daylight saving time ends and we get an extra hour of sleep—but why?

If you're totally mystified by the concept of daylight saving, you're not alone. I'm here to answer some common daylight saving questions.

Clock in autumn leaves

(via Shutterstock)

 

Why Does Daylight Saving Time Even Exist?

Daylight saving time moves clocks ahead one hour in the summers so that the sun is up during more of people's productive working hours. Without it, the sun could rise at 4:45 a.m. and set at 7 p.m. at the height of summer. No one wants to wake up that early, and who wants a summer night to end at 7?

As winter approaches and days get shorter, daylight saving time ends in late October or early November. This means we get one extra hour in the day to do whatever we want, but that the sun will also start setting super early.

What's All This About Turning Back the Clocks?

Chances are you've been hearing a bunch of reminders turn back the clocks this week, but with most electronic devices doing this automatically, you probably won't have to worry about it.

While you sleep, your cell phone will do the work for you, and on Sunday, Nov. 6 the clock will read 1:59 a.m. one minute and 1:00 a.m. the next. So if you normally wake up at 8 a.m. on Sundays, it'll magically be 7:00 a.m. when you wake up in the morning.

 

Isn't It Daylight "Savings" Time?

Nope.

 

Wait… I Don't Observe Daylight Saving Time!

If you live in Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands, chances are that you don't observe daylight saving time and you're completely baffled by this entire article.

 

Need some recommendations regarding how to spend that extra hour? Click HERE for our daylight saving tips.

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