Daylight Saving 2015: It's Almost Here

Not too far from now, we can sleep in an extra hour as we “fall back” into Daylight Standard Time.

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, which means you’ll want to turn your old-school clocks back before you go to bed Saturday night, Oct. 31. Of course, the change is automatic for most smartphones, computers, tablets and other digital devices.

Daylight saving time is the practice of setting the clocks forward one hour during the summer months, and back again in the fall, in order to make better use of natural daylight.

The good news for the early risers is that sunrise will be about an hour earlier and there will be more light in the mornings, but it also means sunset in East Austin will be at 5:43 p.m.

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The daylight will dwindle over the next two months as we head into winter.

Shorter days and the end of daylight saving time are associated with SAD (seasonal affective disorder), a form of clinical depression that is believed to affect about 5 percent of the U.S. population; it may set in as people have less daylight to enjoy after they got off work. To combat the depression, the Mayo Clinic recommends outdoor activity, especially within two hours of awakening; exercising regularly; opening blinds and window shades to let light inside; light therapy; medications; and psychotherapy.

The end of daylight saving time is also a good time to change the batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, and to test the devices to ensure that they are still working properly.

Arizona, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not observe daylight saving time.