Daylight savings time 2020

When does the time change in 2020? Here's when we 'fall back' for daylight saving time

WILMINGTON, Del. – Daylight saving time is almost over, so get ready to "fall back."

The official time for people to turn the clocks back an hour is at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, meaning the time will go back to 1 a.m.

You might get an "extra" hour of sleep that day, but it will also begin to get darker earlier in the day. The amount of daylight will shorten each day until the winter solstice on Dec. 21.

Daylight saving time begins again March 14, when clocks "spring forward."

Here are a few more things to know as the time change approaches.

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Why do we switch to daylight saving time?

The main reason is to make better use of daylight during the spring and summer months, so there is an extra hour of sunlight in the evening instead of the morning.

After numerous changes to the dates, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 gave the U.S. its current start and stop dates for daylight saving time. It starts on the second Sunday in March and ends the first Sunday in November.

That gives most states about 7.5 months of daylight saving time and 4.5 months of standard time.

A common typo and mispronunciation

The correct spelling and pronunciation of the term is "daylight saving time," not "daylight savings time." 

Who is in charge of daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time was first enacted by the federal government during World War I as a way to conserve coal. "Old time," as it was described in archives of the Delaware News Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, was reinstated after about a year, but daylight saving time persisted in various forms on local and state levels until the federal government passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966. 

Today, the Department of Transportation oversees daylight saving time. The agency cites many reasons for daylight saving time, including energy reduction and reduced crime.

A case against daylight saving time

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine in August released a statement saying public health and safety would benefit from eliminating daylight saving time. 

The organization said standard time more closely aligns with the daily rhythms of the body's internal clock.

"Permanent, year-round time is the best choice to most closely match our circadian sleep-wake cycle," Public Safety Committee Vice Chair Dr. M. Adeel Rishi said in a statement. "Daylight saving time results in more darkness in the morning and more light in the evening disrupting the body's natural rhythm."

Not every state follows daylight saving time. Hawaii and most of Arizona opt out.

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