Illinois and most of America “springs forward” at 2 a.m. Sunday for the start of daylight saving time.
Besides remembering to set any clocks an hour ahead that you have at home or in your car that still need to be changed manually, you might lose even more sleep if you think about how losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day. It also could harm your health.
Things to know about the time change:
- Darker mornings and more evening light knock your body clock out of whack — which can cause sleep trouble for weeks or even longer. Studies have even found an uptick in heart attacks and strokes right after the March time change.
- There are ways to ease the adjustment, including getting more sunshine to help reset your circadian rhythm for healthful sleep.
- Fatal car crashes temporarily jump the first few days after the spring time change, according to a study of U.S. traffic fatalities, especially in the morning, which researchers attributed to sleep deprivation.
- Hawaii and most of Arizona don’t make the spring switch, sticking to standard time year-round — along with Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Worldwide, dozens of countries also observe daylight saving time, starting and ending at different dates.
- We’ll return to Central Standard Time on Nov. 1, when clocks “fall back” as daylight saving time ends