Daylight savings time

Time to Sleep In: The Great Clock Fall of 2024!

Attention sleepyheads! Get ready to turn back the clock this November and enjoy that extra hour of zzz's!

As the leaves start to fall and hot cocoa makes its annual comeback, millions of us are gearing up for the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST). Mark your calendars for Sunday, November 3, 2024, at 2 a.m. because that’s the magical moment when we all turn our clocks back one hour. This seasonal tradition grants us an extra hour of sleep, which means, yes, you can hit snooze a few more times or simply enjoy a leisurely morning. With this change, those chilly autumn nights will feel just a tad longer, and let’s face it—who doesn’t love a cozy evening in?

But while the rest of the country prepares for this seasonal ritual, there are some places that remain blissfully unaffected by the clock drama; we’re looking at you, Arizona! That’s right, it seems that Arizonians have the best of both worlds, comfortably strolling through the year without the hassle of changing their clocks. As the rest of us scramble to remember if we need to crank our clocks back or spring them forward, residents in the Grand Canyon State are living in the time zone equivalent of a perpetual vacation.

Despite numerous debates about putting an end to this twice-a-year clock changing chaos, it looks like Daylight Saving Time isn’t going anywhere just yet. Various studies have been conducted on the benefits of sticking to permanent DST or standard time, with reasons ranging from better sleep patterns to potential impacts on productivity. But for the time being, we’ll continue to dance around the clock twice a year, fueled by caffeine and optimism that one day, we’ll find a solution that works for everyone.

So how about we make the most of that glorious extra hour we’re about to receive? This year, orchestrate a mini ‘fall back’ party with friends or family, complete with fun games, delicious snacks, and of course, an appreciation for those long autumn nights. And just to keep things light and humorous, remember: If you wake up an hour late for work, just tell your boss you were practicing for the next spring forward!

Fun Fact: Did you know that Daylight Saving Time was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784? Though it was just a whimsical idea to save candles, it eventually became a law in many places!

Also, the sleep benefits are real! Studies show that the extra hour gained in November could also lead to a decrease in heart attack occurrences shortly after the time change— a silver lining to the clock drama!