Daylight Saving Time is About to End But Did You Know These Surprising Impacts?

Every year, on the first Sunday in April, daylight saving time ends at 2am (or 3am daylight saving time, before the clocks have been turned back).

And then on the first Sunday in October, it will begin again with the clocks brought forward.

A helpful saying to remember is “spring forward, fall back”, with the clocks set forward by an hour in the Spring and then back an hour in Autumn (or Fall, as the season is referred to by Americans).

Daylight saving is observed in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.

In Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, there is no daylight saving time.

“Spring forward, fall back” – how to remember daylight saving routine

Changes in the United States

While there is always a bit of debate surrounding the changing of the clocks, the United States recently passed a bill to make daylight saving time permanent.

On March 15, the US Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 legislation.

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If the bill passes the House of Representatives and is signed by President Joe Biden, it will put an end to the country’s twice-annual changing of the clocks in 2023.

Germany was the first country to implement daylight saving time, introducing it in 1916 to save fuel during World War I.

Why was daylight saving created at all?

Daylight saving is a result of the earth’s rotation around the sun, according to academics at the University of Sydney.

Professor Tim Bedding from the School of Physics said the earth’s axis of rotation is tilted.

“(This) means that the sun rises and sets at different times throughout the year as the Earth moves around the Sun,” he said on the University’s website.

“The result is that days are longer in summer than in winter.”

Germany was the first country to implement daylight saving time, introducing it in 1916 to save fuel during World War I.

In Australia, daylight saving time has been a consistent part of life since at least 1971, but was also briefly introduced in 1916 in Tasmania.

The other Australian states and territories followed suit the following year, however, the ending of the war in 1918 also put an end to daylight saving time in Australia.

It was not brought back until 1967, when Tasmania reintroduced it during a drought.

“Daylight saving throws our circadian rhythms out of sync because we are suddenly required to wake at a time when the body clock is still programmed for sleep,” – Sleep Health Foundation.

Impact on sleep

When the clocks are put back by an hour, we enjoy an extra hour of sleep and it is less disruptive to our bodies than putting the clocks forward, according to the Sleep Health Foundation.

“The body’s circadian rhythm, our built-in time clock, operates on a slightly longer than 24-hour cycle,” it said on its website.

“This means that being able to extend our day, through going to bed a bit later in the evening, is much easier than it is to shorten our day.”

However, when the clocks are set forward in Spring, we gain an extra hour of daylight but also lose an hour of sleep, which is difficult to adjust to, according to the Sleep Health Foundation.

“Our circadian rhythms are timed to match the environmental cycle of light and darkness,” the Foundation said.

“Daylight saving throws our circadian rhythms out of sync because we are suddenly required to wake at a time when the body clock is still programmed for sleep.”

On a more serious note, studies have linked this lack of sleep to workplace injuries, miscarriages, car accidents and even suicide.

To prepare for the end of daylight saving time, the Sleep Foundation recommends going to sleep at your usual bedtime on Saturday night and setting the alarm for Sunday morning at your normal time.

Surprising facts about daylight saving

Our eating may also be affected temporarily, according to academics at the University of Sydney.

Dr Nicholas Fuller, a weight loss expert from the Charles Perkins Centre at the university, said pushing the clocks forward results in a “misalignment” in our circadian rhythm.

“This is a temporary effect, but when it comes to food, you may find yourself eating later in the evening and doing other activities to fill the daylight hours,” he said on the University’s website.

Daylight saving has also been known to reduce crime, with a study published in 2015 finding that it brought about a drop in robberies.

Daylight saving has also been known to reduce crime, with a study published in 2015 finding that it brought about a drop in robberies.

Pets can also be impacted as they like having predictable schedules and will notice when their owner gets up an hour later and delays their breakfast.

To prepare for the end of daylight saving, American organisation Sleep Foundation recommends going to sleep at your usual bedtime on Saturday night and setting the alarm for Sunday morning at your normal time.