Every year, in Autumn, the clocks go back one hour. This marks the end of Daylight Savings Time, and this year it will happen on Sunday 29 October. To help you remember: we ‘spring’ forward at the start of the year and ‘fall’ back in autumn.
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The idea was initially proposed by a builder named William Willett, who also happens to be the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay’s Chris Martin. He made a booklet in 1907 called The Waste of Daylight whichexplained how this shift would encourage people to spend more time outdoors and therefore save energy. The government introduced the scheme in 1916, during WWI.
Do we get an extra hour of sleep?
Not everyone adjusts well to this change. Sleepcycle explains that:
Research shows that the ‘extra’ hour of sleep we theoretically receive when Daylight Savings Time ends does not actually result in more sleep for most of us. During the autumn transition, most people tend to wake up earlier than usual, which results in a net loss of sleep across the week.
With this loss of sleep, people are more likely to become irritable and have trouble concentrating during the day. Those who suffer already with sleep deprivation could see this worsen as their bodies regulate to this new rhythm.
Tips on how to cope
- Prepare for it: Get into the swing of going to bed later and getting up later - if your schedule allows for this, of course. Try pushing bedtime back by 20 minutes or so at a time so that the whole hour doesn’t seem like such a big shift when it comes around.
- Wake up gently: After the clocks go back and the winter weather sets in, it can feel harder to get out of bed in the morning. Try to give yourself a gentle wakeup by using a soft alarm tone and giving yourself enough time in the morning to get ready without stressing. It can also help to set your alarm at afew minutes off the classical times: instead of 7AM, go for 07:05.
- Top up on sunlight: If you can, try to get out and about during the day. Feeling the sun on your skin will help align your body with these new timings.
- Exercise regularly: Being active during the day helps your body to fall asleepmore readily in the evening. It should help you feel tired and relax into a deeper sleep, but do be careful not to work out too close to bedtime or you may feel restless.
Read more:
⋙ What is Sleeping Beauty Syndrome? Woman suffers from rare syndrome that makes her sleep for 10 days
⋙ This is why we sleep less as we get older, science explains
⋙ Experts reveal if you should sleep with your windows open at night
Sources used:
Sleepcyle: How does the end of Daylight Saving Time impact your sleep? Here’s a plan to help you adjust
ScienceDirect: The impact of daylight saving time on sleep and related behaviours
Gov.uk: When do the clocks change?
