Daylight Saving 2020: When Do Virginia, DC Move Clocks Forward?

WASHINGTON, DC — Winter is almost wrapped up, and as proof, we'll have more light in the evenings starting Sunday. While spring doesn't pop up on the calendar until March 19, the first hint tangible sign of it comes when Daylight Saving Time officially begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 8.

That means you'll want to turn your old-school clocks forward an hour when you go to bed Saturday night, March 7. The time change is automatic for most smartphones, computers, tablets and other digital devices.

Daylight Saving Time is the practice of setting clocks forward one hour from standard time in the spring, and back again in the fall, in order to make better use of natural daylight.

At least 40 states have entertained the idea of adopting a year-round time in a patchwork of bills, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. States that prefer year-round standard time can opt out of the Uniform Time Act, as Arizona and Hawaii did, but they need congressional approval to permanently adopt daylight saving time.

Lawmakers in Virginia have not waded into the issue, while lawmakers in neighboring Maryland are considering a opting out of Daylight Saving Time.

Sunrise will be about an hour later next week, which will make Monday's commute a bit more risky.

“The switch to Daylight Saving Time causes us to lose an hour of our day in exchange for extended daylight hours throughout the summer,” John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs, said in a news release. “What is more, come Monday morning, the commute will look very different for school students waiting for buses and motorists driving to work – in the dark.”

A change in time can mean that drivers are more tired than they realize, while transferring daylight from the morning to the evening means drivers and pedestrians will have to adjust to a darker morning commute to work or school, warned AAA Mid-Atlantic. It’s critical that both drivers and pedestrians are aware of the potential dangers and act with caution.

AAA Tips for Drivers

• Slow down, pay attention and eliminate all distractions.
• Watch out for pedestrians when backing up in parking lots or driveways.
• Keep vehicle headlights and windows (inside and out) clean.
• Sun glare can make it difficult to see so:
  • Increase your following distance from the vehicle ahead of you;
  • Utilize your sun visor and invest in polarized sunglasses, as both can help reduce glare
• Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible during early morning and evening hours.
• Watch the high beams. Do not use high beams when other cars or pedestrians are around.
• Yield to pedestrians at crosswalks. Do not pass vehicles stopped at crosswalks.

Those two states may have it right, according to the results of an October Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll that found Americans are increasingly frustrated by the biannual time switch and want it to end.

The Daylight Saving Time poll found only 28 percent want to continue moving clocks ahead an hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall. About 40 percent want to adopt standard time year-round, while about 31 percent prefer year-round daylight saving time.

The poll also showed Americans 45 and older support year-round daylight saving time, while only 22 percent of those younger than want to make ditch it altogether.

On March 11, President Donald Trump weighed in, tweeting "Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me!"

One other thing to do the night before the time change: Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Just before you move that clock hand forward an hour, push the test button on the smoke and carbon monoxide alarm(s) in your home. If they do not work, replace the battery — unless it is a sealed 10-year lithium battery, in which case you will have to get a new alarm.

Still, the longer days and the beginning of daylight saving time are associated with the end of the SAD (seasonal affected disorder) season, giving people an extra hour of daylight to enjoy after they got off work. SAD is clinical form of depression that is believed to affect about 5 percent of the U.S. population.

Tell Us: What are you looking forward to most about the beginning of daylight saving time?

Critics say the lost hour of sleep harms our health, from increased strokes and heart attacks to lost productivity and workplace injuries.

There are ways to avoid sleep deprivation — which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says already affects about one-third of adults in the United States. Here are some tips:

• You know it’s coming. Go to bed an hour early Saturday, and make sure you get seven to eight hours of sleep.
• Get the kids to bed early, too. They pay more attention to their internal clocks than timepieces, so implement the routine Saturday night to help them adjust to the lighter-than-usual bedtime, so they’ll be set up for a good night’s sleep before school Monday.
• Be patient with the kids. They may throw temper tantrums or show signs of frustration, but it’s usually short-lived. Adults can also be cranky during the first several days after the time switch. You’ll get over it, too.
• New baby? Pretend nothing has changed. That means taking the baby outside, even if it’s cold, to help the baby’s internal clock adjust. Getting 30 minutes of sunlight first thing in the morning will help you, too.
• Limit your vices. That shot of booze may seem like a good idea, but it will fragment your sleep. And, of course, limit your caffeine intake in the late afternoon and evening. Chamomile tea or a glass of warm milk is a better choice.
• Don’t eat a big meal right before bedtime either.
• If you are using the extra hour of daylight at the end of the day for exercise, make sure your session ends three hours before bedtime, because the energy boost exercise gives you can cause insomnia.
• Wind down with a relaxing activity, like a warm bath or shower, gentle stretching or yoga.
• Let the sun shine in. Experts say that pulling back the curtains and allowing the sun to shine in the windows in the morning improves alertness during the day. You’re also more likely to feel sleepy when it is time to go to bed.
• Turn off the bright lights an hour or two before you go to bed — yes, even the television, your computer and other electronic devices. Read a relaxing book or listen to soothing music instead.
• Don’t give in to the urge for a long nap. Take a brief power nap if you need, but longer naps will disrupt your sleep schedule and make it more difficult to adjust to Daylight Saving Time.
• Make your bedroom is a sleep sanctuary — dark, quiet, well ventilated and at a slightly cooler temperature.