WASHINGTON — It’s time for a change for most of the United States.

Standard time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday. (Associated Press)

The clock is running out once more for daylight saving time. Standard time begins at 2 a.m. local time Sunday.

Until almost next spring, in states red and blue and in between, it’ll be lighter earlier in the morning and darker earlier in the evening.

And there’s no debate about the immediate benefit of the time shift: an extra hour of sleep when you hit the hay Saturday (or after midnight).

Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and most of Arizona don’t observe daylight saving time. It’s incumbent to stick with the status quo.

Daylight saving time returns at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 14.

According to a poll last year by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 7 in 10 Americans preferred not to switch back and forth, but there was no agreement on which time clocks ought to follow.

“Spring forward, Fall back” is a phrase used to help people remember how Daylight Saving Time affects their clocks in the spring and fall seasons.

Many homeowners use each time change as a reminder to change batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors used in their homes.