When does daylight saving time end? What is it? What to know about 'falling back'

Americans are set to "fall back" and gain an extra hour of sleep in November when daylight saving time comes to an end for the year.

Despite some recent attempts to get rid of the practice, daylight saving time is set to happen in seven weeks. The bi-annual one hour time shift maximizes sunlight hours during the summe r when the sun typically rises earlier.

Daylight saving time occurs twice a year : first on the second Sunday in March and then again on the first Sunday in November. When daylight saving time ends clocks "fall back" one hour and those affected gain one hour of sleep, as opposed to when it begins in March we "spring forward" and lose an hour of rest in the process.

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Heres what to know about daylight saving time:

When does daylight saving time end in 2024?

This year daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 3, reverting the clock to 1:00 a.m. It will start back up again next year on Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 2 a.m. advancing the clock to 3:00 a.m. The purpose of daylight saving time is to conserve energy and make better use of daylight.

Why does the U.S. use daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time has been legally enforced in the U.S. since 1918, when congress passed the Standard Time Act, which established boundaries between the standard time zones in the continental United States. Then in 1966, the federal government passed the Uniform Time Act to standardize time across the country.

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Is daylight saving time coming to an end?

There has been a push to end the sunlight conserving practice for some time now with critics looking to make daylight saving time permanent. Some experts claim that switching to permanent daylight saving time could save lives and improve health.

The senate was able to pass the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022 but it was never passed into law.

Experts have said there is a marked increase in strokes and heart attacks at the start of daylight savings time, as well as a negative impact on circadian rhythms, NPR reported. Daylights savings has also been linked to a slew of problems such as increased medical errors, hospital admissions, and motor vehicle accidents.

Do all states observe daylight saving time?

All states practice daylight Saving time except Arizona and Hawaii. Arizona, with the exception of the Navajo Nation, avoids the practice because of its desert climate. The state decided there was no reason to re-adjust the clocks to make sunset occur an hour later during the hottest months of the year.

Hawaii skips out on the practice because its proximity to the equator makes it so that daylight hours remain about the same throughout the year, making it moot to switch the clock.