Clocks change this weekend, and here are all the myths about that

Here we are again. Didn’t we just do this like six months ago? Yes, of course, we did, that’s the joke. Twice a year we change our clocks, and with every passing year it’s certainly feeling like more of a joke to me.

Read More: Why hitting snooze means falling back sooner in NJ

Fall back. Spring ahead.

For as long as we can remember, we’ve been hearing that mnemonic phrase. This weekend, at 2 am Sunday, Nov. 2, to be exact, is when we roll back our clocks an hour. We go back to standard time from daylight saving time. Is it the end of the world? No. Is it an outdated, unnecessary nuisance? Probably.

At least many devices now do it for you automatically. Your cellphone takes care of itself. The clock on your dashboard is likely not.

Why do we do it? That’s the first myth we’re going to dispel.

Myth # 1

Daylight saving time was created to help farmers.

Nope. Farmers are against it. They are among DST’s biggest critics. Their schedules are dictated by the sun not by what time man says it is, and that extra hour of light in the morning messes with their schedule and makes it harder to get crops to market on time.

Myth # 2

Benjamin Franklin invented daylight saving time

Wrong again. He wrote an essay about saving can the wax by waking up earlier but it was satirical and he was never suggesting time change. So why then? DST was adopted for reasons like saving energy during World War I and, in the U.S., for department stores to encourage more evening shopping.

Myth # 3

Daylight saving time saves energy.

So what about that business of saving energy? Did it work? You’re going to love this. Some early studies showed modest energy savings from reduced lighting, but modern science shows that any savings are offset by increased energy use for heating and cooling. Some studies indicate the practice may even increase energy consumption overall.

Myth # 4

In the fall, you’ll get one extra hour of sleep.

You would think, right? Yet wrong again. The perceived extra hour of sleep you, in theory, should have is often lost due to the disruption to your body’s circadian rhythm. It throws off your body’s internal clock and causes sleep difficulties that rob you of an extra hour of sleep.

Now, personally, I would like to remain on daylight saving time year-round and have more sunlight available for after work. If I could ever get my wish of doing an industry-standard four-hour show instead of a long five-hour one and get off at 6pm, maybe I could even enjoy some of it.