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Clocks Change in October
Britain will gain an additional hour of sleep when the clocks are set back to 2am on Sunday, marking the official end of British summertime.
If you work during the night, your work hours may feel longer this weekend, but having kids or pets won’t change that.
William Willett, Introducer of Summer Time Act
Common misconceptions suggest that clocks change was done to help farmers or enhance road safety, but it actually dates back over a century to when the Summer Time Act was introduced in 1916 following a successful push by builder William Willett.
Willet planned to adjust the clocks by moving them back 20 minutes each week on Sundays in September and forward in April. The decision was taken in the early days of WWI to save fuel and has remained in place even though there is no actual advantage to having brighter mornings and extended evenings.
Supporters of changing the clocks believe that having more daylight in the morning can boost productivity. However, this advantage is negated by a 20% decrease in productivity during summer months, when there is an average of seven additional hours of daylight compared to winter.
Opponents of daylight saving time changes argue that disrupting sleep patterns can lead to health issues.
Additionally, it is important to note that while October provides an additional hour of sleep, March removes it when the clocks move forward.
This situation seems unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.
The European parliament stopped changing clocks in March 2019, allowing member states to choose their preferred time zone. Nevertheless, the reform has been momentarily delayed and Britain displays no indication of halting progress.
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