When Do Clocks Go Back in the US 2025? Daylight Savings Ends 2 November — But Many Want It Gone for Good

Americans will turn their clocks back by one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, 2 November 2025, marking the official end of Daylight Saving Time.

The change occurs on the first Sunday in November, giving most people an extra hour of sleep but ushering in earlier sunsets and darker evenings.

This biannual ritual, which affects most of the United States, faces mounting opposition from health experts, politicians, and a weary public who increasingly question whether the century-old practice still serves any purpose in modern life.

Health Experts Warn Against the Clock Switch

Research has linked the biannual time change to higher risks of heart attacks, strokes, and sleep disturbances. The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that abrupt changes in sleep patterns can affect heart rhythm, mood, and alertness.

In 2023, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine formed a coalition to advocate for permanent standard time across the US, joined by the American Medical Association and National Sleep Foundation. They specifically advocate for permanent standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology by synchronising the body clock with the natural rising and setting of the sun.

A 2025 Stanford study found that switching to permanent standard time could reduce cases of obesity by 2.6 million and stroke by 300,000 in the continental US. Permanent daylight saving time also reduced cases, but to a lesser extent.

From Wartime Measure to Modern Debate

Daylight saving time first began on 19 March 1918 under the Standard Time Act, implemented to conserve energy costs during World War I.

After the war ended, the law was repealed, but when World War II began, Congress reinstated it in 1942. Following decades of confusion, the Uniform Time Act was passed in 1966 to standardise the practice.

In 2005, President George W Bush extended daylight saving time to its current format, which runs from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November. As a result, the United States now has eight months of DST and only four months of standard time.

Political Push for Year-Round Daylight Time Stalls

The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 seeks to make daylight saving time permanent. Senator Martin Heinrich called it 'a no-brainer,' promising 'more sunshine and less clock changing.'

However, both bills remain in committee, with GovTrack giving them only a 4% and 2% chance of being enacted. A similar bill passed the Senate in 2022 but was not taken up by the House.

America tried year-round daylight saving time from January 1974 to April 1975, but Congress ended the experiment early due to concerns about children walking to school on dark winter mornings.

Eighteen states have since passed measures supporting year-round daylight time. However, according to the US Department of Transportation, none of these state measures can take effect without federal approval.

States can only opt out of daylight saving time entirely and remain on standard time year-round, as Hawaii and most of Arizona have done.

The Global Trend Away from Time Changes

Only about a third of countries still observe daylight saving time, mostly in Europe. In the last decade, nations including Russia, Turkey, Jordan, and Uruguay have scrapped the practice altogether.

In 2018, the European Parliament voted to end daylight saving time after 84 percent of 4.6 million citizens favoured abolition. The reform, however, remains delayed as member states debate which time to adopt permanently. The decision was supposed to take effect in 2021, but remains under review as of 2025.

For now, Americans can look forward to one more extra hour of rest — and one more round of arguments over whether changing the clocks twice a year still belongs in the modern age.