New law could mean this year is the last year the clocks go back in the US

A new law that has been passed by the US Senate would mean that 2022 is the last year the clocks go back in America.

Every year in the US, most states start Daylight Saving Time at 2am on the second Sunday of March by turning the clocks forward an hour.

This then reverts to standard time on the first Sunday of November which - you guessed it - means the clocks go back an hour (meaning an extra hour in bed).

Aside from Arizona and Hawaii, which observe permanent standard time, the US is set for another clock change next weekend.

However, 2022 could be the last year this happens if the Sunshine Protection Act is passed by the House of Representatives and the President.

The proposed law would make Daylight Saving Time permanent across all states of America, meaning later sunsets and darker mornings throughout the winter months.

Taking to Twitter, Brandon Orr, broadcast meteorologist at WPLG Local 10, said: "Here's the early heads up... clocks go back one hour next weekend!

"Could this be the last time? The Sunshine Protection Act passed the Senate, but still is waiting for the House.

"If passed and signed by the President, we could stop changing the clocks as early as next year."

There's been a lot of chat about the move online, with many people divided as to whether this would be a good thing.

Some experts are concerned that by making Daylight Saving Time permanent, it could increase the rates of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

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Also known as 'winter depression', the condition is believed to be triggered by reduced exposure to sunlight during the shorter autumn and winter days.

Dr. Chris Winter, sleep medicine specialist and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast, said: "We are already dealing with an explosion of mental health crises in young people, and now we are proposing pouring gasoline on that fire by making our days start off with no light."

However, studies have suggested that changing the clock twice a year has a detrimental affect on people's health.

In one 2016 study, researchers in Finland looked at the effect that daylight saving time had on ischemic stroke hospitalisations and in-hospital deaths between 2004 and 2013.

Published in the journal Sleep Medicine, they found that stroke rates were 8 percent higher than usual in the two days following both clock changes.

"Circadian rhythm disruption has been associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke (IS)," the authors wrote.

"Daylight saving time (DST) transitions disrupt circadian rhythms and shifts the pattern of diurnal variation in stroke onset, but effects on the incidence of IS are unknown."

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They continued: "Daylight savings time transitions appear to be associated with an increase in ischemic stroke hospitalisations during the first two days after transitions but not during the entire following week.

"Susceptibility to effects of DST transitions on the occurrence of ischemic stroke may be modulated by gender, age and malignant comorbidities."

Ultimately, there are arguments both for and against the Sunshine Protection Act being passed.

For now it lies in the hands of US officials – but if it does get the green light, there could be no more clock changes from as early as 2023.