Did the clocks go back or forward tonight, and did other countries change theirs?

Has your wake-up time given you a jump scare? Or will you be delighted at the lighter evenings?

Perhaps you came downstairs and felt confused. Your living room clock said one thing, but your phone said another.

Well, there’s a reason for that – the clocks went forward last night.

Yep, it has happened again. The switch marks the beginning of British Summer Time (BST) and the end of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

It’s good news for night birds as evenings will be noticeable lighter, while mornings will initially feel a touch darker.

But, of course, there is one obvious quid pro quo: we all lost an hour’s sleep.

What time did the clocks go forward last night?

The clocks went forward by an hour at 1am.

British Summer Time (BST) always starts at 1am on the last Sunday in March.

Most electronic devices like smartphones will automatically jump forward an hour, but some, like ovens, may not and you may have to manually change them.

Obviously, you are not a space-time-bending marvel who has travelled forward in time, instead sunrise and sunset each appear an hour later during BST.

One way to remember which way the clocks change is to say the phrase ‘spring forward, fall back’ to yourself, with fall in this case also meaning autumn.

BST will last until October 25 – the last Sunday that month – when the clocks will go back by one hour and we regain that precious hour in bed.

Why do we change the clocks?

The man behind daylight savings is widely credited as Benjamin Franklin, convinced he was wasting his time in bed while living in Paris in the 18th century.

The idea of losing and gaining an hour each year took a while to catch on across the pond.

In the 1700s, Brits set their clocks according to the sun, creating dozens of conflicting local times depending on where in the country you were.

So for a time (no pun intended) places in the far west of England were about 20 minutes ‘behind’ London.

You’d board a train heading north and basically have to reset your watch every 10 miles as you travelled across these different ‘time zones’.

It was only in the 1840s that we in the UK first adopted standard times after the Great Western Railway introduced ‘railway time’ – a consistent time dictated by the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.

British builder William Willett, Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s great-great-grandfather, angry at the ‘waste of daylight’ during summer mornings, put the idea forward of Daylight Saving Time (DST) in 1907.

It was adopted in 1916 during the First World War.

Is changing the clocks a good thing?

It depends a lot on who you ask. You may have heard it’s because farmers are keen to get an extra hour in the sun to work, but some farmers actually hated the idea when it was first proposed.

Another popular myth is it was an effort to reduce energy consumption during the Second World War – though some researchers say it doesn’t lower our energy bills.

Extra daylight also means extra time to spend money, so some see it as good for the economy… except some alternatives to BST are way more profitable.

So is changing the clocks a good thing? It is for reasons beyond that extra hour in bed in the Autumn.

For one, more time in the sun helps boost our mood and encourages us to exercise more. Traffic-related accidents go down slightly because of daylight savings, studies suggest, and crime overall goes down slightly.

If you feel a bit jet-lagged and struggle to sleep after the clocks change, check out these helpful tips.

Which countries change their clocks?

Clocks-changing isn’t just a UK thing – more than 70 countries around the globe do it.

Most European countries observe European summertime (Daylight Saving) – changing their clocks at the end of March and again at the end of October.

The only European countries that don’t are Iceland, Turkey, Belarus and Russia. Neither do nearby Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Meanwhile, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand observe Daylight Saving.

Most Asian countries, including India, Japan, China and Mongolia, opt not to use Daylight Saving Time, while many Middle Eastern countries also avoid changing their clocks.

For some, such as Iran and Jordan, dropping DST is a fairly recent change, while Egypt decided to restore it in 2023.

In Africa, most countries do not use it. Morocco does, as do the nearby Canary Islands, which are part of Spain.

How can I mitigate changes to my sleep routine?

Dr Tim Mercer, an NHS GP Partner and GP Trainer with Opera Beds, has givensix tips to help mitigate the effects on our sleep routine.

Gradual Adjustments: In the run-up to the time change, you could try shifting your bedtime and wake-up time by 10 to 15 minutes earlier each day. This gentle transition can help ease your body into the new schedule, lessening the shock to your system.

Morning Light Exposure: Getting some natural sunlight in the morning can aid in resetting your internal clock. Light is one of the strongest signals for regulating the circadian rhythm, so spending time outside in the early daylight hours can assist your body in adjusting more swiftly. If the lighter mornings are disrupting your sleep routine, consider investing in blackout blinds or a sleep mask.

Consistent Sleep Routine: Stick to a consistent sleep routine by going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, even on weekends. This helps regulate your body’s internal clock, making it easier to adapt to the new time.

Limit Stimulants: Try to avoid caffeine and electronic devices, which emit blue light, at least an hour before bedtime. These can interfere with melatonin production and make it harder to fall asleep.

Activity Levels: The onset of autumn and winter may lead many people to reduce time spent on outdoor activities and exercise. Keeping up regular physical activity in winter is generally beneficial for sleep, even a brisk 15-minute walk can have a significant impact.

Sleep hygiene: It’s crucial to comprehend what environment boosts your sleep. This encompasses managing lighting, temperature (the perfect bedroom temperature is approximately 16-18C), and noise for a night of profound sleep. Typically, the darker, cooler, and quieter you maintain your sleeping area, the better your odds of sleeping undisturbed.

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