Politics & Government

In Case You Forgot to Spring Forward: Daylight Saving Time Began Sunday, March 11, 2012

Move clocks one hour ahead; change smoke alarm batteries too.

It's time to spring forward into Daylight Savings Time. Alas, the change of the clock means a few groggy mornings for many, rather than anything springy to speak of.

As of 2 a.m. Sunday, your clocks should have moved ahead by one hour to 3 a.m.

For those with , consider setting a or watch ahead one hour before going to sleep on Saturday and check your cell phone settings to prevent any snafus —it's always wise to have a backup

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Take our love/hate poll on daylight saving time below. 

Why all the hassle? Daylight Savings Time, first established in 1918, is designed to add an hour of sunlight to the end of the day during the warm weather months, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The period of time was extended in 2007 by one month to encourage energy savings, and now runs from 2 a.m. the second Sunday of March (March 11) to 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November.

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There is a national effort to encourage residents to test their smoke alarms and change the batteries when changing the clocks. Most smoke alarm batteries should be changed once a year.

Still some juice but the year is up? Just switch them into that fickle TV remote or keep them in a drawer to use up on a toy or tool that your life doesn't depend on. That way a nagging worry on Monday morning won't distract you from the pressing needs at hand, like finding .

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