There’s probably more than one teenager who will try to get away with an extra hour of curfew on Saturday night and maybe even a few folks who will arrive early to church on Sunday morning. Either way, the U.S. will shift back to Daylight Savings Time this weekend.

The idea of shifting our clocks twice a year is rooted in wartime exigencies and the rhythms of industrial society. The U.S. first adopted daylight saving during World War I through the Standard Time Act of 1918 with the goal of conserving fuel by extending evening daylight for work and commerce. However, it was repealed shortly thereafter due to strong opposition – especially from farmers – resulting in a patchwork of local observance until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 imposed national consistency. Despite the Act, there are still some U.S. states like Hawaii and Arizona that do not observe it.

In 2019, the Tennessee Legislature passed a bill to make daylight saving time permanent – but Congress must approve such moves before they take effect. Until then, the state still has to change clocks twice a year like everyone else.

Why do we keep doing it?

The rationale behind shifting clocks is to better align human activities with daylight. By “springing forward” one hour in March and “falling back” in November, the idea is that people will enjoy more daylight after work, reduce artificial lighting needs, and perhaps even boost economic activity in the evenings. That said, the energy-savings benefit is now modest at best. Studies show minimal reductions in electricity use and some trade-offs in morning darkness and health disruptions.

In the South, the picture shifts. In agricultural settings, the myth that farmers actively lobbied for DST is incorrect. They mostly opposed it because their operations run by the sun, not by the clock, and “extra” evening daylight doesn’t change when the cows need milking or the fields need tending.

Because the South spans nearly two time zones east to west, sunrise can vary dramatically. Folks in east Tennessee see daylight about 45 minutes earlier than those in west Tennessee – even though the clock reads the same. That means the “fall back” hits differently depending on where you live.

For many southerners, the time-change can mean children leaving for school in darkness, a shift in community rhythms and commerce, and even safety concerns for early-morning traffic. The interplay of rural routines and DST’s “social clock” creates friction in parts of the South where sunrise and evening hours matter deeply for daily life.

Sleep researchers say our circadian rhythms prefer standard time – the one that matches sunrise most closely. That’s why the “fall back” in November usually feels like a relief, while the spring forward can cause fatigue, irritability, and even small spikes in heart attacks the following week.

The shift back to standard time offers a moment of reflection. For southern towns, the earlier dusk and slightly later sunrise can affect everything from school bus schedules to outdoor work and community gatherings. At the same time, the broader debate is increasingly asking: do we continue switching twice a year, move to permanent daylight time, or stay on permanent standard time? Polling suggests many Americans favor ending the biannual change altogether. What do you guys think? •

{The Lynchburg Times is a nonpartisan, independent community newspaper serving Lynchburg, Tennessee and the surrounding counties. We not only cover local events but also volunteer our time and resources to make sure they are a success. You can support us, by clicking here.}