What if we didn't 'spring forward' when daylight saving time begins?

(NEXSTAR) — In short time, most Americans will lose an hour of sleep as our clocks jump forward to daylight saving time. 

But what if the clocks didn’t change?

Most federal and state efforts to end the observance of seasonal daylight saving time have been focused on locking the clocks on permanent daylight saving time. That would mean springing ahead an hour in March and not falling back an hour in November. 

However, some states are looking to remain on permanent standard time, a move sleep and health experts largely agree with.

Unlike permanent daylight saving time, there are already parts of the U.S. observing permanent standard time: Hawaii and most of Arizona.

If you’ve ever been to either state, you can likely guess why. In both cases, it’s the sun. By not moving their clocks ahead in spring, Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) is able to have slightly earlier sunsets, providing earlier relief on a hot summer day. Hawaii, with its proximity to the equator, gets a relatively consistent amount of sun year-round, making “saving” daylight pointless.

A change in how sunrises and sunsets look, at least on the clock, would be the most notable difference if we stayed on standard time year-round. 

Let’s say you live in Chicago. On Saturday, March 8, the sun will rise at 6:14 a.m. and set at 5:50 p.m. When daylight saving time returns on Sunday, March 9, sunrise will be at 7:12 a.m. and sunset will move to 6:51 p.m.

Into summer, sunrises will come earlier until about mid-June while sunsets shift later until late June. As we move from midsummer into late fall, the sun rises later and sets earlier until we change the clocks again in November. 

Now let’s say we did not jump forward an hour on March 8.

In Chicago, the earliest summer sunrise would become 4:15 a.m. instead of 5:15 a.m. while the latest sunset would be 7:30 p.m. instead of 8:30 p.m.

The table below shows the earliest sunrises and latest sunsets across multiple U.S. cities while we observe daylight saving time as well as what those times would be if we did not change our clocks in March.

While such early sunrises may not sound desirable to you, it’s likely what your body prefers. Experts say that getting enough sunlight exposure in the morning is crucial for our melatonin system. The extra morning daylight could also give you more time to work out or run errands during the cooler morning hours of a summer day (this was a major deciding factor for Arizona when it opted to “lock the clocks”). 

Plus, it may be easier for you (and your children) to sleep through the morning sunshine than falling asleep while it’s still light out.

Let’s say we observed permanent daylight saving time instead. Our summers would remain the same while winters would look much different.

We’ll go back to Chicago. On Saturday, November 1, the sun will come up at 7:23 a.m. and set at 5:44 p.m. After daylight saving time begins on Sunday, November 2, the sun will rise at 6:25 a.m. and set at 4:43 p.m. The sun will rise later until early January, hitting 7:18 a.m. before slowly swinging in the opposite direction. Sunset will hit its earliest time, 4:19 p.m., before also reversing course.

If we did not set our clocks back an hour in November, Chicago’s latest sunrise would be 8:18 a.m. instead of 7:18 a.m. and its earliest sunset would be 5:19 p.m. instead of 4:19 p.m.

The table below shows the latest sunrises and earliest sunsets multiple U.S. cities will experience in fall, when daylight saving time ends, and what those times would look like on permanent daylight saving time.

The research — and history — are stacked against permanent daylight saving time, however. The U.S. tried the practice multiple times in the 1900s, only to quickly transition out of it.

Yet most recent federal efforts and many of those proposed by state lawmakers are hoping for permanent daylight saving time.

That means, for now, our clocks will “spring forward” an hour on March 8 and “fall back” on November 2.

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