Entergy Corporation

10/30/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2024 13:36

Daylight saving time will end on Sunday, Nov. 3

Insights > Daylight saving time will end on Sunday, Nov. 3

Daylight saving time will end on Sunday, Nov. 3

By: Sue Henry • Senior Lead Communications Specialist, Entergy New Orleans

10/30/2024

As fall begins, many of us enjoy the chilly mornings and a pumpkin spice latte. As much as we look forward to the seasonal changes, there is one hallmark of fall that sparks as much competition as the most storied football rivalries: daylight saving time. Some people love daylight saving time. Others loathe it and consider moving to Arizona or Hawaii to avoid it.

Wherever you fall on the 'love it or loathe it' spectrum, changing the clocks can be disruptive. This year, daylight saving time will end on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 a.m., so before you go to bed on Saturday night, set your clocks back one hour.

While some may like the 'fall back' part of the time change because it provides an extra hour sleep on that night, the changes can disturb circadian rhythms and sleep.

The Centers for Disease Control offers some helpful tips to help ease the transition:

  • It may take one week for the body to adjust.
    • Reduce demanding physical and mental tasks as much as possible to allow time to adjust.
  • Be vigilant while driving, at work and at home.
    • You and others around you may be drowsy and less alert than usual, increasing the risks for making an error that can cause a vehicle crash or other accident.
  • Those with existing heart disease may be at risk for a heart attack.
  • Adjust to the time change gradually.
    • About three days before the time changes, begin gradually moving the timing of wakening and bedtime, meals, exercise and exposure to light to 15-20 minutes later than your current times for those activities.
    • About one hour after awakening, keep the lights dim and avoid electronic lit screens on computers, tablets, etc.
    • Get enough sleep and be well rested for several days for the time change goes into effect.

Some may have an easier time adjusting to the change than others. Your natural tendencies as either a morning person or an evening person, as well as how much sleep you get on a regular basis, can impact how disruptive the time change will be for you.

Even though we may not like changing our clocks twice a year, it provides a convenient reminder to check your home safety list. Review your family emergency plan and have your furnace serviced by a certified electrician to make sure it is operating safely and efficiently.

Before you set your clock back, remember to change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and you'll rest even easier during that extra hour of sleep!

Sue Henry
Senior Lead Communications Specialist, Entergy New Orleans