Tick tock, tick tock…Can you hear it? The countdown to spring has begun and that starts with the clock changing. One moment, everything is flowing as usual—you do your nighttime skincare routine, get into bed, read a chapter of your favorite book, turn off your lights and everything feels normal. However, a few hours after you drift off to sleep, while you’re cuddled up under your blankets, the clock mysteriously shifts thanks to daylight savings, and suddenly, 60 minutes disappear from your upcoming morning. Why does daylight saving time start at 2 a.m., anyway?This time change may be an annual occurrence, but each year when it happens, it still makes you feel a little more tired than normal when you wake up. That being said, despite the confusion and grogginess you encounter the first day or two while you adjust to everything, it’s not all bad. It just means a new season is on the horizon, ready to bring about fresh energy and brighter moments. However, it might lead you to wonder what the point of daylight saving time (DST) actually is, when everything switches, why it happens in March, and when it will finally end. If any of those thoughts have crossed your mind, you're in luck—we’re breaking down the answers to them all. By the time you’re finished reading about it, you’ll feel like an expert on the subject—ready to take on the time change with a little less confusion and a lot more clarity.Related: This Simple Change Can Boost Your Energy Levels All Day, According to Doctors
DST is when we “spring forward” an hour, meaning we set our clocks ahead by 60 minutes on a specific day in March each year. The idea of DST was first proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, however, it wasn’t widely adopted until much later. In fact, it didn’t make its debut until World War I, when the world was looking for ways to save energy by reducing the need for artificial lighting. During that time, Germany was actually the first country to give DST a try in 1916 and then a couple years later, the U.S. hopped on board in 1918. From there, DST spread, becoming a regular part of life in the following decades. It always occurs on the second Sunday of March, which means that this year, it falls on March 9, 2025.Related: What States Don’t Do Daylight Saving Time?
Why Does Daylight Saving Time Start at 2 a.m.?
Daylight saving time starts at 2 a.m. instead of at midnight because it’s less disruptive. By changing it at 2 a.m., most places are closed by then and people are asleep, so it’s a smoother transition. It’s also late enough to avoid messing up things like payroll, shift schedules or banking transactions. According to Michael Downing, author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time, on the day before the first time change went into effect, The New York Times reported: “The railroads are relieved of possible complication in the time tables by the fact that the change goes into effect at 2 A.M., which is an hour when no train leaves any of the stations in New York.”
Daylight saving time kicks off in March because it's intended to take advantage of the longer sunnier days that begin to emerge in the spring. The idea is to shift an extra hour of daylight into the evening, when people are more likely to be awake and active. Starting in March also helps balance energy consumption by reducing the need for lighting in the evening, as days get longer and the weather begins to warm up. The specific date, the second Sunday in March, was chosen to provide a consistent start across the U.S.
What Happens When Daylight Saving Time Starts and Ends?
When daylight savings starts in March, we “spring forward” by turning the clocks one hour ahead. That means more sunlight in the evening, perfect for enjoying those longer, warmer days! Then, when DST ends in November, we “fall back” by setting the clocks an hour behind, giving us that extra hour of sleep. It’s all about making the most of the daylight, so we can soak up more sunshine while we’re awake—without staying up too late!
Up Next:
Related: I Tried Mouth Taping for Two Months and the Results Were Mind-Blowing
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Huh? Why Does Daylight Saving Time Start at 2 a.m.? )
Also on site :
- Billboard’s 2025 Global Power Players Revealed
- Amazon’s Best-Selling Power Bank Is Now Nearly Free, 76K Reviews Can’t Be Wrong
- I attended Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix's shameful Cannes press conference