Clocks Fall Back: Sleep Experts and Safety Officials Flag Darker Commutes

Most Americans began the first full workweek of standard time on Monday, Nov. 2, after daylight saving time ended at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 1. Clocks moved back one hour, giving most of the country an extra hour of sleep and returning the hour that was lost when clocks "sprang forward" in March, CBS News reported.

The change shifts daylight from the evening to the morning. In Boston, the sun rose at 7:16 a.m. and set at 5:39 p.m. on Saturday, before the change, and was forecast to rise at 6:17 a.m. and set at 4:37 p.m. on Sunday, CBS News reported, citing the National Weather Service. Weather.com listed post-change sunsets of 4:52 p.m. in New York City, 4:44 p.m. in Chicago, 4:57 p.m. in Denver and 5:45 p.m. in Atlanta.

What the extra hour does to the body clock

Sleep researchers say the gained hour does not always translate into more rest. "Our bodies don't know the clocks have changed," Hannah Peach, a sleep health expert at UNC Charlotte, said in a university Q&A. She said people with consistent sleep patterns may simply wake up an hour earlier than usual, which "can be especially true for children," and that most people "should adjust to the time change within one to two weeks."

Experts generally describe the November change as the easier of the two. In the days after the March switch, scientists have measured "higher rates of lost sleep and an uptick in heart attacks," according to Scientific American. Beth Malow, a professor of neurology and pediatrics at Vanderbilt University, called morning light "one of the strongest forces" that aligns the body's circadian rhythm with the outside world. Jamie Zeitzer, a sleep scientist at Stanford University, said waking well after sunrise after the fall change poses less risk than cutting the body clock short. "You're basically sleeping in," he said.

Peach said the fall change "shouldn't lead to sleep loss" but may affect other aspects of wellness, such as seasonal depression, because of shorter days with less sunlight.

What sleep experts recommend

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine advises getting at least seven hours of sleep per night before and after the time change, waking up at the same time each day, including weekends, and heading outdoors for early morning sunlight in the days after the switch. The academy also recommends avoiding extra caffeine late in the day and giving children and adolescents more time to adapt.

Guidance on light exposure varies among clinicians. Dr. Cecilia Young, a board-certified physician with Inova in Northern Virginia, wrote that the adjustment takes "about eight days" on average and that 30 minutes of bright light in the evening "has been shown to reduce adjustment time to three days." She also suggested limiting morning light with blackout curtains and exercising earlier in the day.

Darker commutes bring safety warnings

Weather.com, citing an analysis by AAA Northeast, reported that pedestrian crashes in the 5 p.m. hour in Connecticut rose 147%, from 43 in October to 106 in November, based on 2020 to 2024 data, and nearly doubled in New York in 2023.

In New York City, the Department of Transportation and the NYPD launched their annual Dusk and Darkness campaign on Thursday, Oct. 29, pairing messages on LinkNYC kiosks, expected to generate an estimated 3.3 million impressions, with increased police enforcement during late afternoon and evening hours. "When the clocks fall back, fall evenings become the most dangerous time of year for pedestrians," said City Council Transportation Chair Shaun Abreu.

In Michigan, the state Department of Transportation and the Office of Highway Safety Planning cited University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute research finding that pedestrians face greater risk of serious injury in the weeks after the return to standard time, with the first hour of darkness the most dangerous. "The earlier onset of darkness creates additional risks for pedestrians and bicyclists, particularly during peak travel hours," said OHSP Director Alicia Sledge.

AAA Western and Central New York urged drivers to keep at least four seconds of following distance, check headlights for clouding or yellowing and watch for deer, noting that New York reported 36,743 animal-related crashes in 2024. "Now is a good time to eliminate distractions, slow down and be prepared for changing road conditions," said Elizabeth Carey, the club's director of public relations and corporate communications.

The push to stop switching

The clock change came as federal legislation to end it remains unresolved. The Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent and let states opt out before the law takes effect, passed the House in July and went to the Senate, CBS News reported. President Trump, who supports the bill, accused Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton of holding it up. Cotton responded that Congress had tried permanent daylight saving time before, only to return to the twice-yearly change "once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter." AAA Western and Central New York said the bill is stalled in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation with no floor vote scheduled. Pending bills expire in early January, when lawmakers elected in the Tuesday, Nov. 3, midterm elections take office.

Sleep medicine groups favor the opposite approach. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine supports permanent standard time and pointed to a separate House bill, the Sunshine for Our Kids Act (H.R. 9638), that would establish it nationwide. Scientific American reported that the American Medical Association, the Sleep Research Society and the academy have opposed making daylight saving time permanent. Unless Congress acts, daylight saving time will begin again at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2027.