New York Time Zone, Daylight Saving Time and Jet Lag (2024)

FAQs

Can you get jet lag from daylight savings time? ›

As a result, we tend to go to bed and fall asleep later, resulting in chronic sleep loss. Daylight saving time causes ongoing misalignment between our sleep/wake rhythm and the light/dark cycle, also called “social jet lag.”

Jet leg generally happens when a person travels east or west across three or more time zones. For example, if you fly from Los Angeles to New York and arrive at 11 p.m., your body might still operate as if it's in L.A. at 8 p.m. and make it hard to fall asleep at the normal time in New York.

And though not every state participates, New York does — for now. During the fall 2023 legislative session, lawmakers introduced a pair of bills in the New York State Assembly and Senate to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Those leading the charge are from upstate counties, including state Sen.

If you feel a little jet-lagged by the end of Daylight Savings Time, it might be because the time change can throw off our circadian rhythm, the internal clock that helps dictate our natural sleep cycle.

When trying to fight jet lag, prepping begins when you book your flight. If you find it hard to sleep on planes, it's better to arrive in the evening so you can head to bed soon after checking into your hotel. If you are a plane-snoozer, look for flights that arrive around lunchtime.

Flying east or west makes a difference to jet lag

Your circadian rhythm (body clock) is less confused if you travel westward. This is because travelling west 'prolongs' the body clock's experience of its normal day-night cycle (the normal tendency of the body clock in most of us is slightly longer than 24 hours).

On arrival, stay awake until an early local bedtime.

If you doze off at 4 p.m. and wake up at midnight, you've accomplished nothing. Plan a good walk and stay out until early evening. Jet lag hates fresh air, daylight, and exercise. Your body may beg for sleep, but stand firm: Refuse.

Dozens of states continue to consider proposals to adopt either permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time. Yet, no states have adopted a legislative change since 2022. Without new movement on proposed changes, Americans should expect clock changes to continue into 2024.

Nearly a dozen states have legislation in the works to switch to year-round standard time: Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont and Oregon, whose Senate voted Monday in favor of a bill that would end daylight saving time.

Why should we end daylight saving time? ›

Some scientists believe that the effects of DST last up to two weeks for most people, and longer than that for others. Loss of sleep can contribute to metabolic turmoil, weight gain, mood instability, irritability, and increased risks for accidents while driving or working.

Eastern Standard Time Zone

Eastern Standard Time (EST) is a standard time zone in use from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March—when Daylight Saving Time (DST) is not in effect. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is used during the remainder of the year.

What Time is it in New York? Daylight Saving Time. New York is located in Eastern Time Zone. In New York, as in all of America, summer time starts on the second Sunday of March until the first Sunday in November.

On the second Sunday in March, at 2:00 a.m. EST, clocks are advanced to 3:00 a.m. EDT leaving a one-hour gap. On the first Sunday in November, at 2:00 a.m. EDT, clocks are moved back to 1:00 a.m. EST, which results in one hour being duplicated.

Airlines typically adjust their schedules in the early morning hours to compensate for the time change, and it's not usually a big issue. Pilots and Air Traffic Controllers don't have a major problem because they operate using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC or Zulu Time), which doesn't observe any time change.

The transition between DST and Standard Time has darker mornings and more evening light. This can essentially “delay” your sleep-wake cycle, making you feel tired in the morning and alert in the evening.

Some research shows that changes in cabin pressure and high altitudes associated with air travel may contribute to some symptoms of jet lag, regardless of travel across time zones. In addition, humidity levels are low in planes. If you don't drink enough water during your flight, you can get slightly dehydrated.

Jet lag is a type of fatigue caused by travelling across different time zones. The body needs anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to acclimatise to the new time zone – approximately one day for each hour of time zone changes.