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Daylight Saving Time No More: Clocks Fall Back

The U.S. moved back to Standard Time on Sunday. In this file photo, a man checks clocks at the Electric Time Company factory in Medfield, Mass.
Brian Snyder
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Reuters /Landov
The U.S. moved back to Standard Time on Sunday. In this file photo, a man checks clocks at the Electric Time Company factory in Medfield, Mass.

Get ready for some early sunsets. At 2 a.m. Sunday morning, U.S. clocks moved one hour backward, officially ending Daylight Saving Time. Folks in Hawaii and much of Arizona can ignore the fuss — they never moved their clocks forward, back in the spring.

The time-switch can also serve as a reminder to check batteries in smoke detectors and fire alarms, as many fire departments advise. And if you ride a bike or walk on streets after dusk, it's a good time to be sure you're visible to drivers.

If the change tends to throw your sleep schedule out of whack, here's a quick rundown of sleep advice that's been featured on NPR:

  • How to Get a Good Night's Sleep
  • How Aging Changes Sleep Patterns
  • Want To Be A Morning Person? Take A Few Tips From Campers
  • And if you find yourself waking up after only half a night's sleep, this 2012 BBC article might keep you from stressing out about it: The myth of the eight-hour sleep.

    The one-hour shift means that many workers will spend much of their commute in the dark in the coming weeks. The government of Raleigh, N.C., says that poses a hazard, particularly as autumn also brings mating season for wildlife.

    Saying that "car crashes with deer greatly increase at this time of year," the city cites a North Carolina transportation department finding that "nearly half of the more than 61,000 animal-related crashes occur during the months of October, November and December."

    For a look at the nuances of Daylight Saving Time, see our post from March.

    Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.