Spring Forward: Don't Forget To Set Clocks Ahead For Daylight Saving Time

DETROIT (WWJ) - It is that time of year again when we "spring forward" and set our clocks one hour ahead.

Daylight Saving Time officially begins at 2 a.m. Sunday, although many people opt to change their clocks before they go to sleep Saturday night.

We know it's coming every year, but that doesn't make springing forward any easier. Studies have indicated that losing that extra hour of sleep can raise the risk of everything from heart attacks to car accidents.

Certified sleep counselor Rita Mueller, with Birmingham Maple Clinic, said the time change can even act as a trigger to aggravate existing issues with insomnia, depression or anxiety. Still, she said it's important to resist the urge to sleep in on Sunday morning.

"Maybe even use the usual time you go to bed during the week and then get as much daylight as you can," Mueller told WWJ's Sean Lee. "The daylight supports our circadian cycle, which is responsible for our sleep pattern."

Mueller said people who have sleep issues should adjust back to normal within about three days.

So, why do we even change our clocks? Daylight Saving Time was instituted in the United States during World War I in order to save energy for war production by taking advantage of the later hours of daylight between April and October. The passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005 extended Daylight Saving Time by four weeks -- from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.

Daylight Saving Time will end Nov. 2, when we'll set our clocks back one hour.