On Sunday, March 31, 2024, the clocks will go forward by an hour, meaning many of us will have one less hour in bed.
It’s pretty grim news for those of who already don’t sleep poorly but remember that with this clock change comes brighter, warmer days. Yes, it’s a small readjustment but the joy of beer gardens is well within our reach.
Why do the clocks still change though and how does it impact us and our bodies?
Why do the clocks change?
It’s very interesting, actually!
American politician and inventor Benjamin Franklin first suggested this idea way back in 1784, as a solution to spending too much money on candles. However, William Willett brought the idea to the UK in 1907 when he published his leaflet, The Waste of Daylight which encouraged the UK public to wake up earlier.
Willett believed that we were wasting the day by sleeping through periods of time when the sun had already risen and argued that the change would save fuel during the war. He was also a golfer and didn’t like that precious course time to go to waste.
Parliament passed the Summer Time Act, which brought the change into widespread use, in 1916 – a year after Willett died.
Plus, in an additional fun fact, Willett was actually the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay’s Chris Martin!
What time do the clocks change?
The clocks go forward at 1am on Sunday 31st March 2024, marking the start of British Summer Time (BST). They go back an hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October, reverting to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
A simple way to remember which way the clocks are going is that they ‘spring forward’ and later ‘fall back’.
How do clock changes impact our sleep?
Well, apart from losing that precious hour, an investigation by the German parliament, Bundestag, found that changing your sleep routine by an hour can have jet lag-style knock-on effects that last for weeks.
If you’re struggling with the adjustment, Shaheeb Ali, advanced clinical practitioner and independent pharmacist prescriber at online pharmacy MedsOnline247 said: “The biggest player in establishing day and night cycles is light, so expose yourself to natural or artificial light the following morning. This will help to suppress melatonin levels and make you feel less sleepy.
“If you feel tired in the afternoon, skip the nap and go outside for some fresh air to help reset your biological clock. And, as always, practise good sleep hygiene by limiting alcohol, caffeine and blue light intake from devices before bedtime.”
Happy spring!