Florida lawmakers vote to stay in daylight saving time all year long

Joe Paedle/Getty Images

Lawmakers in Florida are tired of the whole “fall back” and “spring forward” rigamarole. So they’ve approved a bill to keep daylight saving time going throughout the year in their state.

It took the state Senate less than a minute Tuesday to pass the “Sunshine Protection Act.” There were only two dissenters. (The House passed it 103-11 on February 14.)

The bill now goes to the desk of Gov. Rick Scott—but it’s far from a done deal after that.

sunset florida photo
Flickr | lsiegert

Congress May Need To Approve New Law

Even if the governor approves, a change like this will literally take an act of Congress.

But if all is approved, Floridians—who’ll set their clocks ahead one hour this Sunday when daylight saving time begins—won’t have to mess with it ever again.

Florida will then join Hawaii and most of Arizona, the two places that are exempt from the Uniform Time Act of 1966. The Act established the system of uniform daylight saving time throughout the US.

clocks photo
Getty Images | Suhaimi Abdullah

A Time Whose Time Has Passed?

Efforts to kill off daylight saving time are nearly as old as the time shift itself. And many of the commonly offered rationales for daylight saving time (yes, it’s “saving,” not “savings”) no longer hold true.

For instance, one reason Congress used in enacting daylight saving time is that it saves energy.

light bulbs photo
Flickr | olga.reznik

A 2008 US Department of Energy study reported that daylight saving time reduces annual energy use by only about 0.03 percent. And a study that same year from the University of California-Santa Barbara found it might even increase energy consumption.

RELATED: Daylight Saving Time: The Real Reason For It

Another study found the clock changes can raise the risk of accidents by sleep-deprived motorists.

car crash photo
Flickr | Kevin Walter

Ways To Help Your Body Adjust to Daylight Saving Time

Adjusting to the time change can wreak havoc on your body and your mind. The good news is that you can follow a few tips to help make the adjustment a little easier:

1. Avoid Sleeping In Sunday Morning

Yes, you just lost an hour of sleep, so you’re probably going to want to sleep in. Try not to advises the experts. The later you wake up the morning of the time change, the harder it will be to sleep later in the day. Do whatever you can (including setting an alarm) to stay on your normal sleep schedule.

sleep photo
Flickr | mia3mom

2. Get Some Sunlight When You Wake Up

The sooner you see sunlight when you wake up, the quicker your internal body clock gets adjusted. So, try waking up about 15 minutes earlier to catch some early rays and get a good start to your day.

alarm clock photo
Flickr | rustiqueart

3. Get Less Light Exposure Before Bedtime

Sleep experts say that artificial lights can reduce the amount of melatonin in our brains, which is a hormone which helps us sleep. So they recommend dimming lights and reducing the use of devices at least one hour before bedtime.

smartphone photo
Getty Images | Sean Gallup

Written by Andrea Diaz for CNN.

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