Why Do Americans Gain an Extra Hour Every November?
News Desk
WASHINGTON: Imagine going to bed at your usual time and waking up the next morning to discover that you have gained an extra hour of sleep.
For millions of Americans, this happens every year in November, when clocks across most of the United States are turned back by one hour. But what appears to be a simple adjustment to the clock is actually part of a century-old practice shaped by wartime needs, energy-saving experiments, transportation challenges and political disagreements.
This year, the United States will end Daylight Saving Time (DST) on November 1. At 2:00 AM on Sunday, clocks in most states will move back to 1:00 AM, marking the return to standard time and giving residents an additional hour of sleep.
But why does the United States change its clocks twice a year? Who introduced the practice, what purpose does it serve, and why are American lawmakers still debating whether to abolish it?
What is Daylight Saving Time and how does it work?
Daylight Saving Time is a seasonal clock adjustment designed to shift an additional hour of daylight from the early morning towards the evening during warmer months. According to the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the primary objective is to make better use of available daylight by aligning clock time with people’s daily activities.
The system operates in two phases, commonly known as “spring forward” and “fall back.”
Spring Forward: Losing an Hour of Sleep
Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday of March each year. At 2:00 AM, clocks are moved forward to 3:00 AM, effectively reducing the day by one hour. This means people lose an hour of sleep as the country transitions from standard time to Daylight Saving Time.
Fall Back: Gaining an Extra Hour
The arrangement continues until the first Sunday of November. At 2:00 AM, clocks are moved back to 1:00 AM, allowing people to gain an additional hour of sleep and returning the country to standard time.
The purpose of these adjustments is to provide more daylight during evening hours, when people are more likely to be involved in shopping, recreational activities, sports and other outdoor pursuits after work or school.
Supporters also argue that the system can help reduce the number of children travelling to school and employees commuting to work in darkness during certain parts of the year.
For example, if the sun rises at 6:00 AM and sets at 6:00 PM, advancing the clock by one hour makes the sunrise appear to occur at 7am AM and sunset at 7:00 PM according to the clock.
Importantly, the adjustment does not change the actual position of the sun or the length of daylight. It simply changes how daylight hours correspond with the time displayed on clocks.
How does the entire US change its clocks simultaneously?
Considering the enormous geographical size of the United States, maintaining a uniform time system is not as straightforward as it might appear. When the sun rises in eastern cities such as New York, it may still be dark in western states such as California.
To manage these differences, the country is divided into several standard time zones, each following its designated local time. The official US time can be checked through the government’s time.gov website.
The transition between standard time and Daylight Saving Time is implemented through established legal and digital systems. Computers, smartphones, banking networks, transportation systems and other connected devices generally update automatically according to their time-zone settings.
The US Department of Transportation oversees the legal framework governing time zones and Daylight Saving Time, while NIST and the US Naval Observatory (USNO) contribute to the country’s scientific timekeeping standards.
NIST operates some of the world’s most advanced atomic clocks, which measure time with extraordinary precision, including at the nanosecond level. These systems contribute to maintaining Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the international reference standard for timekeeping.
Government systems, GPS infrastructure and digital networks rely on highly accurate time signals and synchronization systems. As a result, devices configured with the correct time-zone settings automatically adjust when the legally prescribed transition takes place.
For Pakistanis dealing with American businesses, universities or relatives, the change also affects the time difference between the two countries. New York is generally nine hours behind Pakistan during Daylight Saving Time, while the difference increases to ten hours during standard time.
For instance, when it is 12:00 PM in New York, the time in Pakistan is 9:00 PM during Daylight Saving Time. After the November transition, the same time in New York corresponds to 10:00 PM in Pakistan.
How did the US introduce Daylight Saving Time?
The history of Daylight Saving Time in the United States dates back to the First World War. The country formally adopted the practice in 1918, primarily as an effort to conserve fuel and energy for wartime requirements. Several European countries had also experimented with similar arrangements.
However, the system did not remain uniform after the war. Following its conclusion, Congress ended the federal requirement, allowing individual states to decide whether to continue observing Daylight Saving Time.
This decision created considerable confusion. Different states and even cities within the same state began following different time arrangements, complicating railway and bus schedules, business operations and communication between regions.
The issue resurfaced during the Second World War. In February 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced year-round Daylight Saving Time nationwide, a system popularly known as “War Time.”
Once the war ended, the country again faced inconsistencies as states and local authorities adopted different approaches to seasonal clock changes.
The growing complications eventually prompted Congress to introduce the Uniform Time Act of 1966, establishing a more consistent national framework for timekeeping. Under the original legislation, clocks were to be advanced on the last Sunday of April and returned to standard time on the last Sunday of October.
The law was subsequently amended in 1986, moving the beginning of Daylight Saving Time to the first Sunday of April.
Another major change came through the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which took effect in 2007 and established the schedule largely followed today. Under the revised arrangement, Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November.
The legislation followed discussions about energy consumption and the potential benefits of extending evening daylight.
As a result, residents in most participating US states spend approximately 238 days each year observing Daylight Saving Time.
However, not every part of the United States follows this practice. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not adjust their clocks seasonally. Daylight Saving Time is also not observed in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Why is the United States considering ending the twice-yearly clock change?
Despite more than a century of experimentation and legislative adjustments, the United States has yet to reach a consensus on whether Daylight Saving Time should continue in its current form.
The debate essentially revolves around three positions.
One group supports retaining the existing arrangement, under which clocks move forward in March and return to standard time in November.
Another group advocates permanent Daylight Saving Time, meaning clocks would remain one hour ahead throughout the year, eliminating the autumn adjustment.
A third group favours permanent standard time, arguing that maintaining the traditional time system throughout the year would better accommodate natural daylight patterns.
Former US President Donald Trump has also expressed support for making Daylight Saving Time permanent, bringing renewed political attention to the issue.
What happened to the Sunshine Protection Act?
The proposal to make Daylight Saving Time permanent is not new. In 2022, the US Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act, which sought to eliminate the twice-yearly clock adjustment by keeping the country on Daylight Saving Time throughout the year.
However, the legislation failed to secure approval in the House of Representatives and consequently never became law.
The debate resurfaced in July 2026 when the Sunshine Protection Act was reintroduced in the House. The proposed legislation seeks to establish permanent Daylight Saving Time across the country, while also allowing individual states to opt out of the arrangement under its provisions.
Although the proposal has renewed interest in ending the seasonal clock change, it still faces political and legislative hurdles.
Why are some Americans opposed to permanent Daylight Saving Time?
While supporters believe permanent Daylight Saving Time would provide more natural daylight during evening hours, opponents argue that the arrangement could create problems during winter mornings.
One of the major concerns is that people in northern parts of the United States could experience significantly later sunrises, with daylight potentially not appearing until around 9:00 AM in some locations.
This could mean children travelling to school and employees commuting to work would spend more time in darkness during winter mornings.
Opponents also point to previous American experiments with year-round Daylight Saving Time, arguing that concerns over late winter sunrises contributed to the country’s eventual return to seasonal clock adjustments.
The political disagreement has even become a subject of public confrontation. President Trump accused Republican Senator Tom Cotton of obstructing the proposed legislation and shared what he described as the senator’s mobile phone number on social media, encouraging the public to contact him in support of the bill.
Senator Cotton, meanwhile, has highlighted the difficulties associated with earlier attempts to introduce permanent Daylight Saving Time, particularly the impact of darker winter mornings.
Will Americans stop changing their clocks twice a year?
The future of Daylight Saving Time remains uncertain as lawmakers continue to debate the proposed changes. The legislation must secure approval through the required congressional process before it can be sent to the US President for enactment.
If the current legislative effort fails to advance within the available congressional timeframe, supporters may have to restart the process in a subsequent legislative session.
For now, Americans will continue following the established system. On November 1, millions will turn their clocks back, gain an extra hour of sleep and return to standard time.
Yet the annual adjustment raises a much bigger question than simply whether people prefer an extra hour of sleep or more daylight in the evening: should a country continue changing its clocks every year, or is it finally time to choose one system permanently?
