Daylight Saving Time arrives on Sunday, clocks ‘spring forward’ an hour

Ready, or not, it’s time to “spring forward” this weekend, which means you lose an hour of that precious sleep, but the good news – spring is around the corner.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins at 2 a.m. ET on Sunday, as clocks move ahead one hour, bringing with it longer daylight hours in the spring and summer months. The sun will rise later but set later too.

Most of Canada is on DST — only parts of Saskatchewan and areas in British Columbia remain on Standard Time year-round. Yukon made DST permanent in 2020.

In Ontario, the province passed a bill in 2020 to permanently remain on DST but it came with a caveat — both Quebec and New York State would also have to make the move for the change to come into effect.

Those in favour of a permanent move to DST say it will lead to fewer car crashes, less energy use and improved health. Those against say the mornings would just be too dark during the months of December and January.

In the U.S., a study of traffic fatalities found fatal car crashes temporarily spiked in the days after the spring time change. Studies have also found an increase in heart attacks and strokes.

The switch to DST can lead to sleep issues for weeks after due to the combination of darker mornings and more evening light together affecting the body.

Sleep experts say there are ways to prepare for the time change, including going to bed little earlier Friday and Saturday nights, moving up activities in the daily routine, and trying to soak in more of that morning light.

If there is one upside to Sunday’s time change – the arrival of spring at 11:06 p.m. ET on March 19.

Also, make note of this in your calendar: Clocks “fall back” on Nov. 3, which means an end to DST and gaining back that extra hour of sleep.

With files from CityNews staff and The Associated Press