What Is The Daylight Saving Time?

This article is about daylight saving time in general. For DST in a specific location, see Daylight saving time around the world.

"DST" redirects here. For other uses, see DST (disambiguation).

"Summer time" redirects here. For other uses, see Summertime (disambiguation).

Although not used by most of the world's people, daylight saving time is common in the Northern Hemisphere high latitudes.

  DST observed

  DST no longer observed

  DST never observed

Daylight Saving Time (DST)—also summer time in British English and European official terminology (see Terminology)—is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn.^[1] Modern DST was first proposed in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson.^[2] Many countries have used it since then; details vary by location and change occasionally.
The practice has been both praised and criticized.^[1] Adding daylight to afternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours,^[3] but causes problems for farming, evening entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun.^[4][5] Its effect on health and crime is less clear. Although an early goal of DST was to reduce evening usage of incandescent lighting, formerly a primary use of electricity,^[6] modern heating and cooling usage patterns differ greatly, and research about how DST currently affects energy use is limited or contradictory.^[7]
DST clock shifts present other challenges. They complicate timekeeping, and can disrupt meetings, travel, billing, recordkeeping, medical devices, heavy equipment,^[8] and sleep patterns.^[9] Software can often adjust computer clocks automatically, but this can be limited and error-prone, particularly when DST protocols are changed.^[10]