The clocks go back at 2am within weeks (Picture: Getty)
As the days get shorter and the nights grow darker, the clocks will go back one hour at 2am on October 27.
This will mark the end of summer in the UK.
During the winter there are fewer hours of daylight, but on the upside, turning the clocks back allows us to have more sunlight in the morning.
And on the day the clocks go back we get an extra hour in bed.
Following the summer solstice in June, the days gradually begin to get shorter.
Turning the clocks back an hour in October means that we get more sunlight in the morning, and turning them forward in the spring gives us lighter evenings.
Turning the clocks back an hour in autumn means that we get more sunlight in the morning (Picture: Isabel Pavia/Getty Images)
The policy of turning the clocks back in the autumn and forward in the spring began with the Summer Time Act of 1916.
The Edwardian builder William Willett, who was also the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay’s Chris Martin, proposed that the clocks go forward in spring and back in winter so that people could spend more time outdoors during the day and save energy.
Willett wrote put forward the idea in a pamphlet called ‘The Waste of Daylight’, published in 1907.
Despite the proposal having the backing of Winston Churchill and being looked at by a parliamentary committee, nothing was done until the German army turned the clocks forward to conserve energy in the spring of 1916, during the First World War.
The government later adopted the policy in 1916 as politicians they hoped it would reduce the demand for coal.
Willet died of influenza in 1915, the year before the Summer Time Act.
The Edwardian builder William Willet proposed that the clocks go forward in spring and back in winter (Picture: Rebecca Bundschuh/Getty Images/iStockphoto)T
Experts have highlighted the potential health effects of the clocks changing.
NHS GP Partner and GP Trainer with Opera Beds, Dr Tim Mercer, said: ‘As the clocks go back and we transition out of British Summer Time, it’s important to understand how melatonin plays a key role in regulating our sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the pineal gland in the brain, and its release is influenced by light exposure.’
He explained further: ‘During the evening and in darkness, the pineal gland increases melatonin production, signalling to the body that it’s time to sleep.
‘Conversely, exposure to daylight suppresses melatonin production, keeping us more alert during the day.
‘With the earlier onset of darkness after the clocks go back, the body may start producing melatonin earlier in the evening, potentially making you feel sleepy earlier than usual. This shift can lead to temporary disruptions in sleep patterns as your body adjusts to the new schedule.’
Ways to mitigate changes to sleep routine after clocks turn back
Dr Mercer also provided six tips to help mitigate the effects on our sleep routine, according to Bristol …read more
Source:: Metro
