The clocks will go back one hour at 2am on Sunday, 25 October, meaning you will get one extra hour in bed – bliss!
When the clocks go back, it will be brighter for one hour in the morning and will get darker an hour earlier in the evening.
The practice of changing the clocks coming into the winter months came about in order to give us more light in the mornings. In WWI the government brought in British Summer Time to improve the economy by giving farmers an extra hour of sunlight to work in.
Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s great-great-grandfather, William Willett, came up with the bright idea of British Summer Time back in 1907. He spent much of his life trying to convince people they should get out of bed an hour earlier in the spring to make the most of the brighter mornings, although he died just before it was brought in in 1916.
The idea of the time changing system has been around for centuries, though in recent years people have criticised the necessity of daylight-saving practice, in the world of the modern workforce there is no need for an extra hour of morning sunlight. People’s sleep schedules are interrupted and some studies have shown that this corresponds to increased car accidents as drivers are thrown off by the disrupted sleep schedule and difference in light levels.
So, enjoy your extra hour in bed, but stay safe if driving in the darker evenings.