The Government must abolish the UK’s twice-yearly clock changes because they are harming the nation’s sleep, researchers have said. Members of the British Sleep Society (BSS), a professional organisation for medical, scientific and health workers, said evidence clearly shows that natural daylight in the morning is good for sleep patterns, while changing the clocks has a negative impact. They argue circadian rhythms – the physical, mental, and behavioural changes we experience over 24 hours – are most impacted by clocks moving forward in the spring.
The society has issued a statement, published in the Journal of Sleep Research, saying it “strongly recommends” that Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) – when clocks go back – runs throughout the year. The call comes as clocks are due to go back this weekend. In the UK, the clocks go forward one hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, and back one hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October.
The period when the clocks are one hour ahead is called British Summer Time (BST) and sometimes called Daylight Saving Time. When the clocks go back, the UK is on GMT, also known as Standard Time. The statement comes from academics from across the UK, led by Dr Megan Crawford of the University of Strathclyde , Dr Eva Winnebeck of the University of Surrey, and Professor Malcolm von Schantz of Northumbria University.
Prof von Schantz said GMT “aligns closely with the natural light-dark cycles of the day and night” and “natural dayligh.