Daylight Saving Time this weekend moves time one hour forward

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - Ready to spring ahead? Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday morning, February 13, at 2 a.m., so remember to set your clocks ahead one hour before you retire Saturday night.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended Daylight Saving Time in the U.S., beginning in 2007, to start at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and end at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. The objective was to maximize the daylight hours when the days are longer.

Fire officials have designated the day of the time change, both in the spring and the fall, as the time to change the batteries in smoke alarms. The spring daylight savings time change is also a good time to have your central air conditioning system checked before the warm weather arrives. Likewise, the heating furnace should be checked when daylight savings time ceases in the fall.

The time change will affect sleep patterns as biorhythms struggle to adjust to the change. According to sleep specialists, the oscillating levels of melatonin might be slightly deficient over the next few days until the body adjusts to the difference in routine and re-establishes its biorhythm. Melatonin is the hormone whose biological effects regulate the sleep-wake cycle in human beings. This short-term adjustment can result in sleep disorders, mood swings, and affect concentration. It might also help to go to sleep an hour earlier on Friday and Saturday night, in order to help the body adjust to the time change.

Daylight Savings Time will end on Sunday, November 6, so clocks will be set back one hour. Essentially, we ‘fall’ back one hour.