WILMINGTON — The days will “get longer,” starting this Sunday as daylight saving time kicks in.
On March 12, 2023, standard time ends as the clocks “spring forward,” wherein 2 a.m. becomes 3 a.m.
A handful of states and territories, including Arizona, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, follow standard time year-round and aren’t affected.
Federal law doesn’t allow states to permanently observe daylight saving time, though about a third — Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Idaho, Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Wyoming, Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, Florida and California — have enacted legislation or passed resolutions to recognize it year-round, should Congress ever shift.
Last spring, the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time permanent. The House has not picked up the measure.
According to the AARP, studies have shown the lost hour of sleep comes with upticks in fatal car accidents, heart attacks and atrial fibrillations, and strokes.
To avoid sleep deprivation, there are ways to adjust to the change.
- Start going to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier this week.
- Be more active on Saturday as to wear yourself out and get a better night’s rest.
- Shut off electronic devices — TVs, phones, computers, tablets — an hour before bedtime to calm the mind.
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