In a few days, those who enjoyed an extra hour of sleep will lose it, as daylight saving time will begin.
However, with the change in schedule, certain adjustment problems may come, especially when it comes to sleeping.
Here we tell you when the time change is and how to adjust better:
When does the time change in 2026?
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Every year, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March.
In 2026, this means the time change will take place on Sunday, March 8 at 2 a.m. At that time, clocks will be “turned forward one hour,” meaning people and pets will lose an hour of sleep. Sunrise and sunset will occur about an hour later than the previous day, and there will be more light in the afternoons.
Will daylight saving time fall earlier in 2026?
Because daylight saving time always occurs on the second Sunday in March—and because March 1 also falls on a Sunday this year—March 8 is the earliest possible date it can start.
When the clocks go back in autumn, this occurs on the first Sunday in November. In 2026, it will also occur at the earliest possible date, November 1.
How can delaying one hour affect sleep quality?
Losing an hour of sleep could translate into greater health risks, according to a report from the Cleveland Clinic.
“Decades of research have shown that losing an hour of sleep leads to an increased risk of health problems. In the week immediately following the change to daylight saving time, heart attacks and strokes, as well as traffic accidents, significantly increase,” said Alicia Roth, PhD, a sleep psychologist at Cleveland Clinic, in a statement.
How to adapt to the change of summer time?
After six months on standard time, readapting your body to waking up an hour earlier can be a cumbersome routine.
Some ways to prepare, especially the week before the March 8 time change, may be to go to bed an hour earlier, sleep experts recommend.
Roth adds that it is necessary to try to sleep at least seven hours during the nights before the time change.
Avoid caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods, as well as very heavy meals before going to sleep.
Roth recommends exposing yourself to sunlight during the mornings, especially now that sunrises with the onset of spring are earlier.
“We are entering a time of year when the days are longer and we are getting more sunlight. It is a very important element, what we call a zeitgeber, or clock synchronization, for sleep. Making sure you get sunlight in the morning is one of the most important things you can do to reset your clock,” Roth recommends in the Cleveland Clinic statement.
What is daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time is a change in clocks that typically begins in spring and ends in fall, often called “setting the clock forward” and “setting the clock back.”
Under the terms of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. In March, clocks go forward one hour, while in November they go back one hour.
But that was not always the case.
The clocks used to go forward on the first Sunday in April and remained that way until the last Sunday in October. However, a change was implemented in part to allow children to collect Halloween candy in more daylight.
In the United States, daylight saving time lasts a total of 34 weeks, from early or mid-March to early November in states that observe it.
Which states observe daylight saving time?
Almost all U.S. states observe daylight saving time, with the exceptions of Arizona (although some indigenous peoples observe it in their territories) and Hawaii. US territories, including Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, do not observe daylight saving time.
New proposal to change daylight saving time
Earlier this year, Florida Representative Greg Stube introduced the “Daylight Saving Time Act of 2026.” NBC Chicago meteorologist Kevin Jeanes explains that the proposal says we would set our clocks ahead 30 minutes in the spring and “never change our clocks again.” This is different from the Sunshine Protection Act, which was proposed in 2021.
This is how it would work.
This story was translated from English with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool. A Telemundo Chicago editor reviewed the translation.