If you’ve ever found yourself wishing for extra hours in the day, Saturday night provided such an opportunity. Thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the first Sunday of November marks the end of daylight-saving time until the second Sunday of March in the following year.

We were surprised to find out there’s a fair amount of controversy on the topic. Hawaii, Arizona, Japan, Brazil and even Kazakhstan are among the governments who have never recognized or repealed recognition of DST.

Some cite health concerns, with studies showing an increased incidence of health complications associated with the hour lost in March.

Others point out the boon to outdoor, retail, sports and leisure activities. There’s even evidence to suggest a reduction in traffic fatalities, thanks to the daylight rush-hour traffic is afforded under the practice.

Keeping time is tricky business. Daylight hours vary geographically thanks to the tilt of the earth’s axis during the seasons. People living at or near the equator don’t notice a discernable difference throughout the year, whereas the folks in Barrow, Alaska — the northernmost town in America — enjoy up to 12 weeks of sunlight.

Standardized time didn’t exist in our country until railway and communication advancements necessitated its implementation. In fact, a 1909 bill to introduce daylight-saving time to the United States died in committee.

It was Germany who incorporated DST in 1916 during WWI as a means to alleviate coal shortages. The United States followed suit, integrating the idea in 1918. Oddly enough, Congress voted to repeal DST in 1919. Woodrow Wilson, an avid golfer, vetoed this measure — twice — and was overridden the second time. To complicate matters, Wilson’s presidential successor, Warren G. Harding, opposed DST, calling it a “deception.” The Harding solution to taking advantage of longer summer days was “wake up earlier,” and Harding went so far as to order federal employees in Washington, D.C. to report for work an hour earlier during the summer of 1922.

Why all of the controversy? Well, different people use sunlight for different things. It’s a popular misconception that DST is a “farmer thing” — the sun doesn’t dry morning dew any faster just because there’s an extra hour of sunlight at night. The effects of “spring ahead” wreak havoc on circadian rhythms — your “biological clock” — so much that a 2008 study showed a significant increase in male suicide rates after the spring transition. Sunlight also plays a key factor in seasonal affective disorder, and it’s thought that the abrupt transition into and out of DST doesn’t do the afflicted any favors.

There’s been talk of a tiered or variable transition to lessen the detrimental effects of DST, a notion that hasn’t garnered much support due to the complications its incorporation could have on travel, media broadcasts and billing systems. Given that most of us spaced off “falling back,” coupled with Apple’s recent headache over the iPhone OS failing to adjust user alarms to the new times, it’s no stretch to think that an incremental segue into DST sounds better on paper than in practice.

Regardless, we sincerely hope you enjoyed the extra hour. Some of us took advantage of the opportunity to spend more quality time at our favorite local drinking establishments, while others were more than happy to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

We’re always happy to “fall back.” It’s the “springing ahead” we’re not particularly fond of.