It's almost time to set your clocks forward an hour in accordance with Daylight Savings Time in order to better take advantage of sunny hours during the coming warm months.

It's about to be the most wonderful time of the year, namely the date when we all "spring forward," setting our clocks forward an hour so we can savor the sun during spring and summer, though we will all miss the hour of sleep that we give up in order to make up for the change.

Daylight Savings Time 2013 demands that all Americans and most Canadians set their clocks forward one hour on Sunday, March 10. At 2:00 a.m. on that date, simply turn your clock's hour hand (or adjust your digital display screen) so that it instead reads 3:00 a.m.

Clocks on many smartphones, computers and other advanced, modern devices will automatically adjust to reflect the twice-annual changes of Daylight Savings Time, so ensure that this hasn't already taken place before you manually make the shift.

DST is also known by the name "Summer Time" in a number of European countries, but the two terms make reference to the same phenomenon.

Daylight Savings Time was invented in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson, and it was first enacted during World War I. It was used on an off for years by various companies, and since the 1970s it has mostly remained in effect in the United States and much of Europe.

Some researchers dispute the benefits of Daylight Savings Time (also known as Daylight Saving Time), saying that it can disrupt sleep patterns, business operations and various nighttime activities, but most general citizens see it as a benefit as it allows them to spend more time in the sun in the evenings.

Ever since the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was passed, Daylight Savings Time in the United States has lasted from the second Sunday in March through the first Sunday in November, when Americans "fall back," setting their clocks back an hour to end the period.

The changes associated with Daylight Savings Time have the odd side effect of making the day when you "spring forward" have only 23 hours, while the November day when you "fall back" has 25 hours in order to make up for the lost hour in March.

So no matter what you do, don't forget to "spring forward" on March 10.

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