Notice it’s a little dark in the mornings at the moment?
Well, that’s because daylight saving time is about to end, which means sunrise strolls but commuting home from the office in the dark.
Here’s what you need to know.
When does daylight saving time end?
This Sunday, April 6.
Clocks will be turned back by one hour at 3am AEDT — they’ll go to 2am.
Do we gain an hour when daylight saving ends?
Yes.
That’s because clocks are going backwards.
This will allow residents in states and territories affected to sleep in longer through the darker mornings, and to enjoy the daylight while it lasts.
You won’t have to change the time on many devices like phones and laptops — they’ll do this automatically.
But you may have to manually change the time on things like oven clocks or your microwave.
And you’ll obviously have to change the time on analogue clocks and watches.
Which states observe daylight saving time?
- ACT
- NSW
- South Australia
- Tasmania
- Victoria
People in the jurisdictions that observe daylight saving will feel like they’ve gained an extra hour of sleep. (ABC Esperance: Emily Smith)
Does daylight saving time affect sleep?
Yes.
It can disrupt our sleep schedule and have a negative impact on the quality of our sleep.
But this is more so for when the clocks go forward — that’ll be on October 5 this year. That’s because we lose an hour of sleep if we’re not prepared.
The Sleep Health Foundation says:
In general, losing an hour in the spring is more difficult to adjust to than gaining an hour in the autumn when we move clocks back one hour.
Thanks to that extra hour, “falling back” isn’t nearly as disruptive to our bodies.
Sleep Health says it usually takes only one night to feel back to normal when the clocks go backwards.
