It’s that time of year again! Time to change the clocks and “fall back”!
Officially on Sunday, November 7th, 2021, at 2:00 am we turn the clock back one hour — back to 1:00 am — as we return to standard time instead of Daylight Saving Time. (And yes, the correct spelling is “Saving” not “Savings”. There should be no “S” on the end!) Most areas of the United States observe daylight saving time, the exceptions being Arizona (except for the Navajo, who do observe daylight saving time on tribal lands), Hawaii, and the overseas territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.
I’m not a big fan of the “fall back” time change. Experts say that it can actually hurt your health over the next few months. Here’s what can happen to you, thanks to the time change:
- Your sleep suffers — It can take up to a week for your body to adapt to the time change. That means a possible lack of sleep. If your body is used to waking up at 7 every morning — it is likely you will wake up at 6. That means you will lose and hour of sleep because you stayed awake an hour later.
- You will have a hard time focusing — For the first week after the time change you can expect to have trouble focusing and staying sharp at work. Sleep deprivation can make us feel fuzzy.
- Seasonal depression can get worse — Fewer hours of daylight is a trigger for many people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
- You go into hibernation mode — Instead of going to the gym or other activities after work, people go home because it’s dark out. Getting out of your routine is bad for your mood and your health.
Also, I always like to remind people that changing the clock is a good time to check the batteries in your smoke detectors (and carbon monoxide detectors). Even most of your “hard wired” detectors have a battery backup, so remember to check those batteries so those devices are ready to go if they ever need to be used.
I am one of those people who would like to see them leave us always on Daylight Saving Time. I hate when we “fall back” in the winter and it gets dark by the time most people are getting out of work and heading home. (Sunset time in Grand Rapids on Sunday will be 5:27 pm. That’s right…the sun will set before 5:30 in the evening. Sunset times will continue to get earlier until the winter equinox on December 21st.)
I love the parody movie trailer that was put together by The STATION by MAKER. They produce comedy sketches and skits, music videos, and the best funny original content in the entire universe (according to their YouTube page!)…
Oh, if you like to plan ahead — we “Spring Forward” again on Sunday, March 13th, 2022.
