Doctor Sujay Kansagra, a sleep expert, has shared with TikTok users his three strategies for preparing for the clocks going back and the day getting shorter this autumn
A “sleep doctor” has offered some advice to people on how to prepare for the upcoming daylight saving time change.
The clocks will go back an hour on Sunday, October 27, which could require some significant adjustments, according to doctor Sujay Kansagra. He shared his tips on TikTok, and while he humorously noted the change would mean “nothing” to parents who are already sleep-deprived, he had some key advice for everyone else. Dr Kansagra suggested three strategies for dealing with DST.
His first suggestion was to “do nothing”, explaining: “It’s one hour, don’t worry about it, don’t make a big deal. You’ll figure it out. That’s actually totally legitimate for the night owls out there, that actually works well. For teenagers, young adults that naturally tend to be night owls, this daylight savings is super easy for you.”
However, he also recommended adjusting before the clocks go back, so your body can remain fully rested while adapting to one less hour of sleep. This approach is “particularly good if you have a young child”, says the sleep doctor, as it can make a big difference to their bedtime routine.
“What you can do is start to push back their bedtime by about 10 or 15 minutes a day, ideally with a bit extra light at night time,” he advised. “That extra light during this daylight savings is what helps push your circadian rhythm that little bit later. That way when you adjust the clock on Saturday night, you’re ready to go.”
Another method is to “adjust after” the clocks have been set back. He explained: “What would that look like practically? If your child’s bedtime is 8pm on Saturday night then they’d go to bed at 7.15pm, that’s actually 15 minutes later than their body is used to going to bed, and hopefully they’ll sleep in a little bit longer.
“Then they’ll go to bed at 7.30pm the next night, then 7.45pm, then 8pm. Again, a little bit of extra light exposure at night time, keep the lights in the room bright, that can help with the shift.”
According to the government website, changes for daylight saving time decide the time zone we use. It reads: “In the UK the clocks go forward 1 hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, and back 1 hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October.
“The period when the clocks are 1 hour ahead is called British Summer Time (BST). There’s more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings (sometimes called Daylight Saving Time). When the clocks go back, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).”
