The difference one hour makes

This weekend we set our clocks ahead one hour to reduce electricity usage by extending daylight hours.

That means no matter what we do, we’re going to lose an hour of precious sleep. And I am going to be tired.

How do I know that? Because even though I reset the physical clocks in the house, my physiological clock takes a lot longer to adjust. 

You would think I would be used to time changes by now, because every six months we run around not knowing what time it is and try to remember to reset our clocks. Even though there are plenty of reminders that the time change is coming (see this issue’s front page), people still ask if we're setting our clocks ahead or back one hour. Remember it’s “Fall Back” and “Spring Forward” — like springing ahead and losing an hour of sleep is fun and positive!

What this change in my life really means is that I've lost an hour of my life — an hour I could have spent doing something productive like scrolling Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, CNN. Or playing Words with Friends or Canasta. Or writing my Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Or sleeping.

If it’s going to be hard for me, it’s going to be hell for my two cats, Annabelle and Tink. And by that I mean for me. 

On a non-daylight-saving-time day, their circadian rhythms tell them they are starving at 5 a.m.  When they’re starving, they feel the need to crawl all over me and purr at extremely loud decibels until they’re fed. 

Here’s their drill:

Crawl all over me, lay down, purr loudly, get up, crawl all over me, lay down, purr loudly, get up.

Every.Single.Day.

That means this Sunday morning, their trample session begging for food will begin at 4 a.m. 

Ugh. I’m dreading the change already.

Yes, I know some of you are saying. “Close your bedroom door.”

That doesn’t work. I’ve tried it. They just sit at it and cry. And purr louder. And cry. And purr louder.

Like year’s past, I will probably crawl downstairs in the dark, cursing along the way, while keeping my eyes closed because the light burns, feed the animals and return to bed. 

I can’t wait.

I know, you're thinking we will get our hour back in November when we “fall back”.

That doesn’t matter because by then I’ll be going to bed at 7 p.m. still trying to reclaim my missing hour from six months earlier.

Daylight Saving Time trivia

• Sunday, March 11, 2018 - Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 am. Set clocks ahead one hour.

• Sunday, November 4, 2018 - Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 am. Set clocks back one hour.

• It is "Daylight Saving Time" (singular), not "Daylight Savings Time" (plural).

• Beginning in 2007, Daylight Saving Time starts in the United States on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.

• 1784 - The idea of daylight saving is first conceived by Benjamin Franklin.

• 1914-1918 - Britain goes on DLS during World War I.

• March 19, 1918 - The Standard Time Act establishes time zones and daylight saving. Daylight saving is repealed in 1919, but continues to be recognized in certain areas of the United States.

• 1945-1966 - There is no federal law regarding Daylight Saving Time.

• 1966 - The Uniform Time Act of 1966 establishes the system of uniform Daylight Saving Time throughout the United States. The dates are the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. States can exempt themselves from participation.

• 1974-1975 - Congress extends DLS in order to save energy during the energy crisis.

• 1986-2006 - Daylight Saving Time begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.

• 2007 - Under the new laws, all of Indiana now observes Daylight Saving Time, where only certain areas of the state did before.

• In the United States, Hawaii and most of Arizona do not follow DLS.

• The US territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and American Samoa also do not observe DLS.

• About 70 countries around the world observe DLS.

• Many countries near the equator do not adjust their clocks for daylight saving. Why would they? They’re on the equator.

• Neither China nor Japan observe DLS.

• Some countries refer to "Daylight Saving Time" as "Summer Time."