Don’t go looking for the 2 a.m. hour on Sunday — you won’t find it.
That’s when Daylight Saving Time (yes, singular “Saving” — not “Savings”) begins.
On Sunday, March 13, prepare to lose some sleep, as clocks “spring forward” an hour from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. for the annual ritual.
If your clocks, automobiles and electronic devices won’t automatically adjust themselves, you can do it manually before going to bed Saturday night — and if you don’t want to lose an hour of sleep, consider hitting the sack an hour earlier than you normally would.
But Dr. Daniel Lewin, the associate director of sleep medicine and an associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Children’s National Medical Center in D.C., said it’s actually easier for people to change their sleeping habits by changing when they wake up, as opposed to trying to go to bed earlier.
He told WTOP in 2020 you should start waking up 15 minutes earlier than you normally would starting a few days before the time change.
By waking up earlier, you’ll increase what Lewin calls “sleep appetite,” which should make it easier to fall asleep a bit earlier at night.
Other positive steps you can take include:
- Getting plenty of exercise (although make sure you exercise a couple of hours before bedtime).
- Limiting your coffee and other caffeine intake to the morning hours.
- Cutting back on the nightcaps, as alcohol can complicate the onset of sleep and worsen sleep quality.
The biannual shifting of clocks, was first implemented in the U.S. to conserve energy and resources during the early 20th century, requiring most Americans to set clocks one hour ahead of standard time between early spring and late autumn.
While Congress expanded Daylight Saving Time by an extra four weeks each year back in 2007, the system is unpopular with many people, and that’s triggered a series of new state and federal legislative proposals to change or eliminate it — including in Maryland and in neighboring Virginia.
Meanwhile, if you’re looking for that lost 2 a.m. hour this Sunday, you can find it when clocks “fall back” an hour on Sunday, Nov. 6 after 1:59 a.m.
WTOP’s Jack Moore contributed to this report.