Believe it or not, it's almost time again for the clocks to change. Autumn is well underway and - although the weather has been unusually mild recently - there's plenty to look forward to as it turns colder.
Whether you fancy wrapping up in your favourite cosy pyjamas with a hot chocolate and enjoying your favourite festive films, visiting firework displays or frequenting the Christmas markets, there's no denying that it's a busy time of year for everyone. While the colder days and darker evenings set in, another change is also on the horizon.
The UK switches from British Summer Time (BST) to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Clocks go forward by one hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March to mark the beginning of BST.
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There’s more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings, sometimes called Daylight Saving Time. In autumn, the clocks go back by an hour at 2am. This year, the change happens the day before Halloween, on Sunday October 30 - the last Sunday of the month.
One way of remembering which way the time changes is through the phrase,' Spring forward, fall backwards.' The clocks going back means we will get an extra hour of sleep, which is welcome news for many of us.
But Dr Lindsay Browning, psychologist, neuroscientist and sleep expert for And So To Bed says people can start adjusting now to prevent issues when trying to drop off to sleep and wake up at new times. She recommends gradually altering your bedtime two to three days before the clocks change so that you get used to the change in routine.
The longest night of the year - or the shortest day - will be due a few days before Christmas on December 21. It's called the winter solstice and occurs when the North Pole reaches its maximum tilt away from the sun.
Builder William Willett suggested the changing of the clocks in the UK all the way back in 1907. He wanted to stop the waste of early morning daylight and introduce brighter evenings during the summer months.
British Summer Time was introduced in 1916 as an Act of Parliament.
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