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Chronicle Live
National
Simon Meechan

When clocks change in March 2022, why they go forward, does it mean an extra hour in bed?

You may have noticed the mornings getting lighter and lighter, signalling a change in the clocks is not far away.

The time will spring forward by one hour on the last Sunday in March, which officially marks the beginning of British Summer Time, although the actual summer season will be a couple of months away yet.

The idea behind changing the clocks twice a year is to help people make more use of daylight hours. When they go forward an hour, evenings are lighter. For a brief period, the mornings will seem darker, due to the time shifting back an hour.

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In October, the clocks go back an hour, when British Summer Time reverts to Greenwich Mean Time.

The clock change takes place on a Sunday, meaning most can have a lie in anyway, but for those who need to be up at a certain time, it means you might feel a bit tired when you wake up.

When do clocks change and go forward in 2022?

The clocks change at 1am on Sunday March 27, when the time will go forward by an hour.

The clock change marks the change to British Summer Time from Greenwich Mean Time. The clocks will go back an hour again on Sunday October 30, 2022

Do I get an extra hour in bed because of clocks changing?

Afraid not, when the clocks go forward, you "lose" an hour if you go to sleep and wake up at your usual times. At least it's not on a Monday...

You gain an hour when the clocks go back in October.

Why do the clocks change on a Sunday?

Naturally, losing an hour overnight can cause disruption, which is why the clocks change on a Sunday.

"The decision to change the clocks on a Saturday night/Sunday morning was made because it would be the least disruptive option for schools and businesses. To maximise the benefit of having extra daylight, it matches the warmest and longest days of the year," says the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

Why do clocks go forward and back?

In the early 20th century a campaign was launched to change the clocks in the summer months, to increase daylight hours. By pushing forward an hour, it makes the evenings lighter quicker, although the mornings will seem darker for a little while, but they will get lighter and lighter until mid June.

Will I have to change my alarms when the clocks change?

Maybe. If you've got a manual alarm clock, or any alarm clock that is not "smart", then you may have to change it yourself. Phones should update automatically, although sometimes they do not if you set yours to airplane mode overnight. Your oven clock is likely to need changing manually.

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