It’s that time of year. We’re fully immersed in the ‘ber months, which means colder temperatures, the holiday season, and the inevitable falling back of the clocks. So, when do we lose that precious hour of sleep?
A Brief History of Daylight Saving Time
Daylight saving time (DST)—also known as daylight savings time, daylight time, or summer time—is a practice we implement to make the most of longer daylight hours. According to David Prerau, the author of Seize the Daylight, three people are behind the advent of DST: Benjamin Franklin (who needs no introduction), George Bernard Hudson, a 19th-century astronomer and entomologist; and William Willett, a 20th-century member of the Royal Astronomical Society.
One common misconception is that DST is for the benefit of farmers. Initially, farmers opposed the idea when it was adopted by the U.S. in 1918 during World War I.
When Do the Clocks Fall Back?
Expect to lose that aforementioned precious hour of sleep when DST ends on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at 2 a.m. The clocks will “fall back” one hour to 1 a.m. local standard time. Every U.S. state observes the end of DST except most of Arizona (the Navajo Nation observes DST) and all of Hawaii.
What About the Sunshine Protection Act?
Legally, the last permanent change to DST in the United States was in 2007 under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which extended DST from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
Marco Rubio first introduced the Sunshine Protection Act in 2018, and Vern Buchanan reintroduced it the next year. The federal law would make daylight saving time permanent year-round. After a series of fits and starts, including the bill passing unanimously in the Senate in 2022, the Sunshine Protection Act now has the support of President Donald Trump.
With the president’s backing, the House passed a reintroduced version of the bill on July 14, 2026. However, Senate Republicans, including Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton (who has repeatedly blocked it), have opposed it. Trump posted on social media on Oct. 3, urging his followers to press Cotton to support the Sunshine Protection Act.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine also strongly opposes the bill, writing that “permanent daylight saving time would cause misalignment with human circadian rhythms, which are crucial for regulating sleep, mood, and overall well-being.
This biological misalignment would lead to chronic sleep deprivation and other health complications. It would also raise public safety concerns by increasing the risk of traffic accidents and pedestrian deaths, particularly for children waiting for school buses and walking to school in the dark.”
