Daylight saving time is back, and nobody asked for this

Daylight saving time begins Sunday, which means we’re about to lose an hour of sleep in exchange for… what, exactly? More sunlight after work? Sure. But also more yawning at 9 a.m., more coffee, and at least one person bragging about being a “morning person” like that’s a personality.

Here’s what the numbers say about the annual time-change chaos.

Spring forward: congrats, you’re tired now

When we “spring ahead,” that hour doesn’t just vanish from the clock — it vanishes from real sleep.

A Michigan State University study found people lose an average of 40 minutes of sleep when daylight saving time begins. So not even a clean hour. Just an annoying chunk of rest you didn’t agree to donate.

And people feel it. A survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found 55% of people report feeling tired after the spring switch. Shocking.

A Grubhub survey adds that 62% of people say it takes at least a week to adjust. Also, 55% say they need more coffee to keep up with the time change. So basically, daylight saving time is a national subscription to caffeine.

Fall back: the “extra hour” is mostly a myth

In November, we “fall back,” and the story we tell ourselves is that we gain a full hour of sleep.

Not really.

That same Michigan State study found the average person only gets about 12 extra minutes of sleep when daylight saving time ends. Twelve. Minutes. So yes, technically you “gain” sleep — in the same way finding a quarter on the sidewalk “boosts” your retirement plan.

It’s not just annoying — it’s expensive

Careerbuilder reports the daylight saving time switch costs the U.S. economy $434 million a year due to lost productivity and increases in worker injuries. So if you’ve ever felt useless at work after the time change, congratulations: you were part of the data.

Most people want it to stop

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey found 70% of people want to end daylight saving time. That’s not a debate. That’s a polite revolt.

And parents? They’re especially over it. A Lego survey found 63% of parents would rather teach their kids math than deal with the effects of daylight saving time. If you’ve met a child doing math homework, you know how serious that is.

At least do the one useful thing

Fire prevention experts recommend using the start of daylight saving time as a reminder to change the batteries in your smoke alarms this Sunday.

So yes, daylight saving time is annoying. But if it gets you to replace that smoke detector battery that’s been chirping since 2022, maybe it’s not completely useless.

Just mostly.