Turn Back Your Clocks, Kane County: Time Change Is 2 A.M. Sunday
We’ve got to fall back this weekend, Kane County.
That’s right, Daylight Saving Time is over as of Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, when we are instructed to set our clocks back exactly one hour at the stroke of 2 a.m.
Frankly, it’s kind of depressing. Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour earlier. The good news is there will be more light in the morning, and the obvious flips side is that it will get dark earlier.
The National Weather Service Sunrise/Sunset Calculator says the sun will set at 4:41 p.m. Sunday.
More About Winter Time
Also called Fall Back and Winter Time, what we’re basically moving to is Standard Time.
There’s a whole history that goes with the time change, with frequent references to Benjamin Franklin and energy saving and farming. The hard truth is that it no longer really saves energy, according to National Geographic.
In Canada, where winter must sometimes seem perpetual, they do a lot of thinking about the time change. So we’re presenting five fun facts, most of which are courtesy of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, for your reading pleasure.
Fun Fact #1: A lot of U.S. states are still talking about getting rid of Daylight Saving Time. Illinois is not mentioned.
Fun Fact #2: A time change can give you a heart attack. OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but only a bit. “Falling back” is generally thought to be less physically stressful than the clock springing forward, but “research indicates that even a relatively small 60-minute time change can have effects on the body, health and even traffic safety,” the CBC says in the article How Daylight Changes Affect Your Health.
Fun Fact #3: The fall time change makes you fat. Again, that’s not actually true. But it is true that reduced daylight hours can lead to obesity and chronic illnesses through a lack of exercise, according to Mayer Hillman, a fellow from the U.K.-based Policy Studies Institute.
Fun Fact #4: There are some places on Earth that don’t do the time change thing. Quoth the CBC: “Saskatchewan and some parts of B.C. don’t use it, for example, nor do Arizona and Hawaii in the U.S.”
Fun Fact #5: If it seems like we’re doing this time change thing later than in the past, you are right. “Legislation in the United States in 2007 moved the start of daylight time three weeks earlier in the spring and the return to standard time a week later in the fall,” the CBC says.
How to Adjust to The Time Change
SOURCE: www.cbc.ca
- Take advantage of the opportunity to get an extra hour of sleep. Don’t stay up later in anticipation of the time change.
- Eat healthy and keep hydrated. Avoid caffeinated beverages, since too much caffeine can further disrupt your natural sleep rhythm.
- Increase your exposure to bright light and physical activity during the day until late afternoon/early evening to help compensate for the overall reduction of daylight hours.
- Get your daily dose of Vitamin D. The two best ways to get the Vitamin D you need are to get adequate sun exposure (15 to 30 minutes per day in summer/southern regions — it’s very difficult to get enough exposure in winter in northern regions because of reduced UV levels), or to take vitamin D supplements.
- Drivers should be extra alert — pull over if you’re driving and feel drowsy. The only cure for sleepiness is sleep. Opening the window or turning up the radio are not effective ways to stay awake.
- Use this clock-change weekend as an opportunity to make home safety checks. Check and replace batteries in home smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
