Time to Fall Back

Daylight saving time ends Sunday

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Clockmaker Tobey Reed checks the details on the face of a clock. (Photo: Charles Krupa/AP Images)

October 27, 2006

Attention all sleepyheads! If you’re looking to catch some more Z’s this weekend, you’re in luck. This weekend marks the end of daylight saving time, when Americans turn back their clocks and grab an extra hour of sleep.
            
While a little more shut-eye is good news for everyone, people shouldn’t expect to spring out of bed, says Adele Kristiansson of the National Road Safety Foundation.  

“The change of waking time, coupled with earlier nightfall throws off our internal clock” she says. “It can take as long as two weeks for our bodies to adjust.”

Each year, Americans return to standard time on the last Sunday in October, and darkness falls one hour earlier. This year, daylight saving time will end on Sunday, October 29, at 2 a.m.   
 
Energy Saver

Traditionally, Americans observe daylight saving time by setting their clocks ahead one hour on the first Sunday of April. Although the actual number of daylight hours does not increase, people are able work and play outdoors later because daylight stretches well into the evening. As a result, demands for lighting and electricity in American homes are reduced.

The United States first observed daylight saving time in 1918 in an effort to save energy during World War I. Between 1942 and 1945, the country adopted daylight saving time year-round—this time, to cut energy costs during World War II.

In 1974, U.S. officials once again instituted year-round daylight saving time in response to an oil shortage. The experiment ended in 1975, however, when parents complained that their children were commuting to school in the dark.
 
A Schedule Change

Last summer, President George W. Bush signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which extends daylight saving time by four weeks. U.S. officials hope the legislation will help ease the country’s energy troubles. Starting next year, daylight saving time will begin three weeks earlier, on the second Sunday in March, and end one week later, on the first Sunday in November.  

Roughly 70 countries observe daylight saving time worldwide, but not all 50 states take part in the annual tradition. Residents in Hawaii and most of Arizona never change their clocks.

 

Critical Thinking Question

Read today's news story, and then answer the following question.

Time to Fall Back It’s time to turn back the clocks! What will you do with the “extra” hour?

Join a discussion of this question on our bulletin board.

            

Karen Fanning is a contributing writer for Scholastic News Online.

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