PLATTSBURGH, NY. (WCAX) – The country is “falling back” as it moves from daylight saving to standard time.
Some people, like barista Dee Wolfe, woke up particularly refreshed on Sunday. Overnight, the clocks went back an hour.
“I’m one of those seasonal depression girlies, so it always hits me really hard, but now that I’m more of a morning person, I’m less against that hour going away. Yeah, I’m a fan now. Before, it felt like a highway robbery every winter, but I now, I think I’m adjusting well,” Wolfe said.
But not everyone could spend the extra hour sleeping. A couple of Pizza Bono employees didn’t want to talk on camera, but they told Channel 3 they worked until it finally became 3 a.m. and had to come back a few hours later to open for business at 11.
Elisabeth Goodrich co-owns Munchies, a convenience store.
She says the winter weather and earlier sunsets may affect her business.
“Here, it snows a lot, and I don’t know if people are going to want to be walking out, but who knows,” Goodrich said.
Jenifer Guay has been a teacher for 20 years.
The time change can be difficult for both teachers and students to get used to, and she says it usually takes around a week to adjust.
“It tends to be dark when they come to school in the morning and then it’s getting dark by the time that they’re leaving, so that can be a little challenging in terms of a teacher coming to work in the dark and then leaving in the dark,” Guay said.
The American Psychiatric Association estimates that about 5% of Americans experience seasonal depression.
“It gets a little darker and gloomier, and it gets harder to get out of bed sometimes. A lot of people deal with it and not enough people really talk about it,” Wolfe said.
But Guay and others say there are ways to get through it.
“Just listen do your body, and if your body is tired, then rest. But if you have the opportunity, get as much sun as possible,” Guay said.
We’re scheduled to spring forward on March 9 next year, but until then, it’ll get dark before 5 p.m.