November 5th marks the end of daylight-saving time, so we will “fall back” an hour over the weekend. At 2:00am local time on Sunday, November 5th, clocks will go back by one hour (either automatically or manually). While it sounds nice to gain an extra hour of sleep, it can take your body up to a week to adjust to the new times for sleeping, eating, and other various activities. Consider reducing demanding physical and mental tasks as much as possible this week to allow yourself time to adjust.

For drivers, the end of daylight-saving time can mean a sudden change in driving conditions during the late afternoon/evening rush. There may be a higher risk for vehicle crashes as drivers adjust from driving home during daylight hours to driving home in darkness. Please be extra cautious while driving.

Also bear in mind that not all states and U.S. territories participate in daylight saving time when it begins in the spring every year. Hawaii and Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) do not observe daylight saving time, and neither do the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Though, when daylight saving time ends in November, all the states and territories will be back on the same (local) time.

With the end of daylight saving, also consider replacing the batteries in your smoke detectors. Because smoke alarms are a critical element of home fire safety, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) supports all efforts to reinforce the importance of working batteries. The long-standing “Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries” campaign encourages the public to change their smoke alarm batteries when moving clocks ahead in the spring and turning them back in the fall.

Credit: CDC, NFPA

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