One hour’s less sleep in the Spring really hits some of us hard. Needing time to adjust, we’ll be dragging through our days for the next couple of weeks.

"As we move our clocks ahead, there's a jolt to the system," Dr. Beth Ann Malow, a neurology and pediatrics professor at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center explained. “This jolt can affect our sleep and overall health. Sleep really impacts our health in so many ways — our weight, our mood, our heart, our lungs, our brain — that's all affected by good sleep." “It can take a week or longer for the biological clock to adjust to the new time,” says Dr Honn at the Washington State University, who also added that your “sleep debt stays with you.” During that time, you may face an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and injuries in the workplace or on the road.

Although dogs can’t read time on a clock, they respond to the behavior of their humans and must also adjust their “getting up” and “going to bed” times accordingly. When forced to get up earlier than what they’re used to, active pets can also feel the stress of losing an hour’s sleep when DST hits. But unlike us, they can more easily nap (when they can hardly keep their eyes open) to try to catch up.

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The second Sunday in March is when Daylight Saving Time begins in most areas of the US. “Spring forward” one hour, meaning 1am becomes 2 a.m. & we end up with one hour less sleep than the night before. We also gain one hour more daylight in the evening with DST.

How you feel about Daylight Saving Time probably depends on whether you are an early riser or a night owl. I’m in favor of keeping DST all year round and end this requirement of changing the clocks twice a year. I care more about having natural afternoon and evening light than I do about early morning light. My husband is the opposite. Our dogs are in synch with me.