You’re probably staring at your microwave right now. Or maybe you just woke up and the sun feels "wrong" for 7:00 AM. It's a weirdly specific type of anxiety, isn't it? That nagging feeling that you might be an hour late for work—or an hour early for a brunch date that hasn't even started yet.
Honestly, the answer is usually no. Most days of the year, there is absolutely no time change today. But because our brains are hardwired to panic about Daylight Saving Time (DST) twice a year, we end up Googling it every time we feel a bit groggy on a Sunday morning.
Right now, we are in the middle of January 2026. If you are looking at your calendar, you'll notice it is a Sunday. However, it is not the correct Sunday. In the United States and Canada, the clocks don't budge until the second Sunday in March. That means you have weeks of stability left before you have to worry about "springing forward" and losing that precious hour of sleep.
The Boring Truth About Is There a Time Change Today
The short answer is a flat no.
If you are in the U.S., the UK, or most of Europe, the clocks are staying exactly where they are. We are currently in the dead of winter. We are deep in the "Standard Time" trenches. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, the big shift doesn't happen until March. Specifically, in 2026, the U.S. will move to Daylight Saving Time on March 8.
But wait.
Geography matters. If you happen to be reading this from a handful of specific places, you don't care about time changes at all. Arizona (mostly) and Hawaii just... don't do it. They looked at the idea of changing clocks and collectively decided it was a terrible use of energy. They aren't wrong.
The history of this is actually kind of chaotic. People love to blame farmers for the time change. That's a total myth. Farmers actually hate it. Their cows don't have watches; they want to be milked when the sun comes up, regardless of what the government says the "official" time is. The whole thing really gained steam during World War I as a way to conserve fuel and coal. If the sun stays out longer in the evening, you don't turn your lights on as early. At least, that was the theory.
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Why We Keep Asking This Every Few Months
We ask because the system is fragmented.
The European Union has been talking about killing off the time change for years. They even voted on it back in 2019, but then a global pandemic happened, and suddenly, "what time is it" became the least of anyone's problems. In the States, we have the Sunshine Protection Act. It’s a bipartisan bill that feels like it’s been stuck in legislative purgatory forever. Senator Marco Rubio and others have pushed to make Daylight Saving Time permanent so we never have to "fall back" again.
It hasn't passed yet.
This means every March and November, we go through this collective ritual of confusion. We check our phones—which update automatically—and then we walk around our houses like zombies resetting the clock on the oven and the one in the car that we never figured out how to program anyway.
How Daylight Saving Time Actually Works in 2026
If you’re wondering about the mechanics, it’s pretty straightforward but feels like a scam.
In the Spring, we "Spring Forward." At 2:00 AM, the clock magically becomes 3:00 AM. You lose an hour of your life. Your internal circadian rhythm gets punched in the face. Heart attack rates actually spike on the Monday following the spring time change. It's true. Research from the American College of Cardiology has shown a 24% increase in heart attacks on that specific Monday. It’s a lot of stress for a society to handle all at once just to get a bit more afternoon sun.
In the Fall, we "Fall Back." This is the "good" one. At 2:00 AM, it becomes 1:00 AM again. You get an extra hour of sleep, or an extra hour at the bar, depending on your lifestyle choices. This happens on the first Sunday of November.
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Why your phone might be lying to you (sorta)
Sometimes, people ask "is there a time change today" because their phone did something weird.
Modern smartphones are supposed to be foolproof. They sync with network towers. But occasionally, a software glitch or a manual override setting can make your phone jump time zones or fail to update. If you woke up and your phone says one thing while your manual wall clock says another, trust the wall clock for a second—then check a "real" source like Time.gov.
The Global Patchwork of Time
It’s easy to forget that not everyone is on our schedule.
While the U.S. and Canada generally change on the same dates, the UK and Europe usually wait until the last Sunday in March. This creates a weird two-week window where the time difference between New York and London is only four hours instead of the usual five. It wreaks havoc on international business meetings.
And then there’s the Southern Hemisphere.
In places like parts of Australia or Brazil (though Brazil has mostly stopped DST lately), they are in the middle of summer right now. Their clocks might be doing the exact opposite of ours. If you have a remote coworker in Sydney, their "today" might actually involve a time change while yours doesn't.
A quick look at the 2026 schedule:
- March 8, 2026: U.S. and Canada move clocks forward one hour (Start of DST).
- March 29, 2026: UK and Europe move clocks forward (Start of British Summer Time/Central European Summer Time).
- October 25, 2026: UK and Europe move clocks back.
- November 1, 2026: U.S. and Canada move clocks back (Return to Standard Time).
The Health Impact Nobody Talks About
We treat the time change like a minor annoyance, but it’s actually a massive biological disruptor.
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When you ask "is there a time change today," you’re often subconsciously feeling the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or just general fatigue. Even though there isn't a change today, the fact that it's January means the days are short. Our bodies want more light.
Experts from the Sleep Foundation argue that Standard Time (what we are in right now) is actually better for human health. It aligns more closely with the sun being directly overhead at noon. When we shift to Daylight Saving Time in March, we are essentially forcing our bodies to live in a permanent state of social jetlag for eight months.
It’s not just about being tired. It’s about cognitive function. Studies show that car accidents increase in the week following the spring time change because drivers are less alert.
Actionable Steps for the Next Change
Since there isn't a time change today, you can breathe. But you should probably prepare for the one coming up in March.
- Check your manual devices. If you have a "dumb" clock (like on a microwave or an older car), write down a mental note of how to change it now so you aren't frustrated later.
- Adjust your lights. If you're feeling the "winter blues" because the days are short, consider a light therapy box. It mimics sunlight and can help bridge the gap until the clocks actually do change in March.
- Audit your sleep. Since you aren't losing an hour tonight, use this "found time" to actually get to bed 15 minutes earlier. Building a sleep buffer now makes the March transition significantly less painful.
- Confirm your timezone settings. Go into your phone’s settings (General > Date & Time on iPhone) and ensure "Set Automatically" is toggled on. This prevents 99% of "did the time change?" panics.
There is no time change today, January 18, 2026. You haven't missed anything. You aren't late. The sun is just doing its winter thing, and we are all just waiting for spring to arrive. Enjoy the extra hour of darkness—or whatever it is you do with your Sunday mornings.
Next Steps for You
Check the batteries in your smoke detectors today. It’s a common tip to do this during time changes, but since you’re already thinking about your clocks and home maintenance, doing it now is much safer than waiting until March. It only takes two minutes and actually saves lives.