DST begins Sunday 13th March, at 2 am local time, with clocks moving forward to 3 am local time. This means one less hour of sleep tonight but one more hour of daylight every day throughout the spring and summer months.
Will the time change on my phone?
Luckily, mobile phones and computers do most of the work for us. By the time you wake up on Sunday morning, your devices should have automatically reset to DST, with all your alarms and reminders ringing at the right time.
Analog clocks are a bit more of a chore and need to be set manually. Doing this before bed will limit any possible confusion and ensure that you wake up to the right time.
How to stay healthy
The transition to DST has been linked to short term circadian rhythm disturbances leading to sleep deprivation, mood disturbances, personal injuries and poor health as people struggle to adjust to ’losing’ an hour.
While these are short term effects, there are still ways to make sure you stay as rested and healthy as possible in the days following the time change.
Make sure to maintain a steady sleep schedule in the days leading up to the switch to DST. Regularly getting enough sleep will lessen the impact of the missing hour. Experts also recommend rolling back your bedtime in the days leading up to the switch so that your body can adjust to your new waking time.
On a related note, avoid napping during the day as this could further interfere with your natural sleep cycle and keep you awake at night.
Sunlight is also very important as you attempt to stave off the effects of DST. Getting an early burst of sunshine after you wake up can help to stimulate your body clock. Similarly, avoiding bright light and electronics in the evening will help your body recognise when its time for bed. Stick to dim lighting and relaxing activities to ensure a restful nights sleep.
Time zones
Most time zone differences will stay the same after Sunday. For example, New York will still be three hours ahead of California as both states will be changing their clocks. Take care with Arizona and Hawaii though as these are the only two states in the U.S. that do not observe daylight saving time. Instead of being two hours ahead of Arizona and five hours ahead of Hawaii, New York will now be three hours ahead and six hours ahead respectively.
