It’s not unusual to have a love-hate relationship with Daylight Savings. In the springtime, Daylight Savings is met with plenty of joy and admiration, as it means that you’ll get a few more hours of sunlight to play in the evenings. In fall, Daylight Savings is met as coldly as Old Man Winter, as you know your evenings will be cut short with 4 p.m. sunsets.

While you may not love Daylight Savings, it does have a purpose that is widely recognized around the world. Not only does Daylight Savings help you get a few more hours of sunlight in the summer, but it also helps to stimulate the economy and regulate your sleep patterns. So while you may be thinking that Daylight Savings is nothing more than a change of the clocks, it proves to be plenty more.

Here’s a further look into Daylight Savings, as well as a few pointers that will help you remember as to whether you should turn your clock forward or backwards.

Daylight Savings: What Is It?

Throughout the year the seasons will change, as will the way that the earth is aligned with the sun. As this natural shift occurs, different hemispheres on the planet get varying levels of sunlight exposure. For example, did you know that Alaska is completely dark throughout the day during half of the year and has over 20 hours of sunlight during the other half? While Alaska may be a pretty extreme example, you can see how the shift of the earth has a big impact on the sunlight exposure that you get each day.

In order to help compensate for the natural shift of the planet, Daylight Savings has been imposed. By changing the clocks forward, we get more time to do the things that we love during the summer. And when we turn them back in the fall, it lets our bodies get adjusted to the earlier evening sunsets. Even though it may take some getting used to during the first few days of changing your clocks, it’s well worth it over the course of the entire year.

Who Is To Thank For Daylight Savings?

Daylight Savings has been observed around the world for centuries. There have been studies that show that ancient civilizations would alter their daily routines based off the amount of sunset that they’d plan to get. In modern times, Europe has observed a change in time for Daylight Savings for over 100 years. America would also make the change after Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay titled, “An Economical Project For Diminishing The Cost Of Light.” This essay would lead to a multitude of changes and the implementation of Daylight Savings in many places in America.

So Do My Clocks Go Forward Or Back?

To remember whether or not you should set your clocks forward or back, there is a simple saying to remember with: “Spring forward, fall back.” Just remember this saying and you’ll always know whether or not you should be setting your clocks forward or back.