Hopefully, by now, your body’s internal clock has gotten acclimated to rising an hour earlier each day after “springing forward” last weekend. That one measly hour sure seems to require many hours of readjustment.

When my boys were babies, the beginning and end to daylight saving time was always a struggle. Just when you’d get them into a good sleep routine, along would come the time change, and suddenly they were not wanting to go to sleep at bedtime — or worse, they were waking up at 5 a.m.

Nowadays, the family member who most misunderstands the time change is my geriatric beagle.

As he ages, Max enjoys increasingly later starts to his day. (Truly, who can fault him? As I age, I tend to do the same.) Max was considerably confused last week when my clock started screaming one hour earlier than normal and he spied me, not hitting the snooze button, but rather, crawling out from under the covers. Sure, Max could have stayed curled up in his comfy dog-bed, but if he does that, he knows he might miss an opportunity to wake the neighbors with his loud beagle bays on the scent of a rabbit in the backyard. Or he might pass up the chance to beg for the crust of my toast.

So, like me, Max dragged himself out of bed and watched, perplexed, as I fumbled to start the morning coffee while it was still dark outside.

Indeed, this back and forth twice each year sure seems to take its toll. It’s been a point of contention for as long as I can remember.

Then, suddenly almost out of nowhere, our D.C. legislators last week took up the issue that’s on everyone’s minds this time of year.

The U.S. Senate, by unanimous decision (when, exactly, was the last time you heard that in a sentence?) approved a measure Tuesday making daylight saving time permanent nationwide next year. The bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act would ensure Americans no longer would change their clocks twice a year, but instead would maintain summer hours year round.

The bill still needs approval from the House, and the signature of the president to become law.

“No more switching clocks, more daylight hours to spend outside after school and after work, and more smiles — that is what we get with permanent daylight saving time,” said Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, an original sponsor.

Markey was joined on the chamber floor by senators from both parties making the case for how permanent daylight saving time would have positive effects on public health, the economy and even cut energy consumption.

Believe me, you won’t hear any argument here!

So, whose idea was daylight saving time in the first place?

In fact, it first was proposed in 1907 by Englishman William Willet, who wrote a manifesto, “The Waste of Daylight.”

“Everyone appreciates that long, light evenings,” he wrote.

According to the The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Willet spent a small fortune lobbying businessmen, members of Parliament and the U.S. Congress to put clocks ahead. The idea finally caught on in Europe during World War I for the purpose of coal conservation. The United States jumped on board in 1918, and Americans were encouraged to turn off their lights and go to bed around 8 p.m.

I found it interesting that, according to the Almanac and despite popular misconception, farmers strongly opposed the idea. The law was repealed, but it re-emerged during World War II, again due to energy conservation.

Eventually, Congress made daylight saving time law, but apparently, even today some farmers’ organizations lobby Congress against the practice, largely because, according to the Almanac, farmers prefer early daylight to start their work and a standard time sunset that doesn’t change.

As for me and Max, we’ll be thrilled to stay on daylight saving time year-round.

Sure, it’ll mean mornings that are too dark to chase rabbits around the backyard, but it sure will leave lots of extra time to sniff around the yard before the sun goes down at night.

Linert is editor of the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator.

blinert@tribtoday.com