The reason for daylight savings 2012, like all daylight savings changes, is to increase the period of light during the afternoon while decreasing the hours of daylight in the mornings. This is why in 2012 clocks will be moved forward an hour in the beginning of spring and set backward an hour during fall. The practice of DST has its benefits and problems. Adding light to the afternoon benefits afterwork activities and also has an economic benefit to retailers that prosper during daylight hours. However, DST can be problematic for timekeeping, travel and sleep cycles.