The Return of Daylight Savings Time

The time change in March gets a bad rap because of the lost hour of sleep, but the return of Daylight Savings Time doesn’t need to be a meditation in misery.

This year, DST kicks off today, March 8. The change can be a pain when it comes to manually adjusting clocks and timers, but luckily, computers, phones and tablets will make the change on their own. The biggest downside to the beginning of DST is we lose an hour of sleep the night it goes into effect. For most, the extra hour of daylight is well worth it, though.

As it currently stands, Arizona and Hawai’i do not practice DST. If you want to avoid the change for a little longer, consider vacationing here when clocks change. That isn’t reasonable for most people, though. Seven other states, including Florida, Oregon and Washington, want to keep DST permanently. This is a best-of-both-worlds situation, where the states have an extra hour of sunlight and don’t need to deal with a change.

To make the change a little easier throughout the first week, set your alarm a few minutes earlier each day. Getting yourself up is one challenge, but make sure to wake the kids up with you if they need to go to school. The gradual change is much easier on the body.

On the night when the change goes into effect, make sure to get plenty of rest. Young kids might not want to head to bed earlier, but the early bed time, assuming everyone can get to sleep, will make for a much more pleasant morning.

According to a study from Michigan Health, many more heart attacks happen, proportionately, on the morning following Daylight Savings Time. The 24 percent jump can be attributed to interrupted sleep, the study claimed. To stem the potential of a serious illness, make sure the entire family gets enough sleep.

The coming of Daylight Savings Time is a blessing for most people. The huge jump in timing means it is brighter much longer. Kids can play outside longer while more activities open themselves up for adults. Use the extra sunlight to go for a walk as a family or get a good run in.

A missing hour of sleep is a pain for sure, but proper preparation means the extra hour of sunlight can literally brighten your day. Until November, that is.