Brighter days – at least days with more sunlight – are ahead.
We’ll officially gain an extra hour of sunlight when we “spring forward” at 2 a.m. Sunday morning, as daylight saving time starts. As usual, it comes with a tradeoff; in exchange for the additional sunlight, we’ll lose an hour of sleep.
But this year, the beginning of daylight saving time is a little different compared to years past.
Here’s why and what else you need to know.
What makes daylight saving time different this year?
Because daylight saving time is always the second Sunday of March — and because March 1 is also a Sunday this year — March 8 is the earliest possible date for DST.
It may seen unusually early, but that’s not the case.
DST can start anywhere between March 8 and 14.
Last year, it began on Sunday, March 9, and in 2024, DST started on March 10.
So, what exactly is daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time is a changing of the clocks that typically begins in spring and ends in fall.
Under the conditions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. In March, clocks shift forward, while they go back an hour in November.
In the United States, daylight saving time lasts for a total of 34 weeks, running from early-to-mid March to the beginning of November in states that observe it.
Which states follow daylight saving time?
Nearly every U.S. state observes daylight saving time, with the exceptions of Arizona (although some Native American tribes do observe DST in their territories) and Hawaii. U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, do not observe daylight saving time.
New proposal to change daylight saving time
Earlier this year, Florida representative Greg Stube introduced the “Daylight Act of 2026.” NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes explains the proposal says we’d set our clocks 30 minutes ahead in spring, and “never change our clocks again.”
This is different than the Sunshine Protection Act, which was proposed in 2021.
Such a measure would effectively split the difference between year-round standard time, which many scientists and sleep experts have advocated, and the Sunshine Protection Act, which would mandate year-round daylight saving time in the United States.
For Chicago that means our earliest winter sunset would be at 4:49 p.m. in December instead of 4:19 p.m., and the latest winter sunrise would be 7:48 a.m. instead of 7:18 a.m. in January.
Here’s how it would work.
How does the time change affect your body?
Fatal car crashes temporarily jump the first few days after the spring time change, according to a study of U.S. traffic fatalities. The risk was highest in the morning, and researchers attributed it to sleep deprivation.
Then there’s the cardiac connection. The American Heart Association points to studies that suggest an uptick in heart attacks on the Monday after daylight saving time begins, and in strokes for two days afterward.
Doctors already know that heart attacks, especially severe ones, are a bit more common on Mondays generally — and in the morning, when blood is more clot-prone.
Researchers don’t know why the time change would add to that Monday connection but it’s possible the abrupt circadian disruption exacerbates factors such as high blood pressure in people already at risk.
Experts suggest you gradually shift bedtimes about 15 or 20 minutes earlier for several nights before the time change, and rise earlier the next morning, too. Go outside for early morning sunshine that first week of daylight saving time, another way to help reset your body’s internal clock. Moving up daily routines, like dinner time or when you exercise, also may help cue your body to start adapting, sleep experts advise.
Afternoon naps and caffeine as well as evening light from phones and other electronic devices can make adjusting to an earlier bedtime even harder.
Will I need to change the time on my phone?
Cell phones on major carriers should reflect the time change almost immediately. But you’ll likely need to change the time on household appliances, wall clocks and the one inside your car.
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