WASHINGTON — Did you enjoy that extra hour of sleep on Sunday? You might need it for Monday’s commute.

With the return to standard time, it will get darker sooner in the afternoon, which means the first afternoon commute on Monday could be a challenge.

“It’s a strange phenomenon that I’ve seen for as long as I’ve been doing traffic,” said Jim Battagliese, WTOP’s director of traffic operations.

Turning the clocks back usually makes for a “crazy” rush hour, he said: “It doesn’t take much to mess up traffic around here.”

“People have to drive home in the dark. They are not used to it,” Battagliese continued. “For some reason, it just kind of freaks everybody out and makes for a worse rush hour.”

He says everyone should be prepared for a longer than usual commute on Monday afternoon.

“Just be aware,” Battagliese says. “Be aware that people will be a little off because they are driving in the dark.”