FALL BACK TONIGHT
For immediate release: Daylight saving time clock changes have substantial, but short-lived effect on how much sleep we get
University of Bristol
With the clocks going back this weekend, a new study has found that moving the clocks one hour forward in Spring and one hour back in Autumn has a substantial, but short-lived effect on sleep duration.
The University of Bristol-led study, published in the Journal of Sleep Research today [25 October], analysed sleep data from activity monitors worn by 11,800 people over the Spring and Autumn clock changes in 2013-2015. The study is unique in that it analysed objectively-measured sleep in a large number of people in the UK who are signed up to
UK Biobank.
It is commonly thought that people lose an hour of sleep in Spring (when the clocks go forward an hour) and gain hour of sleep in Autumn (when the clocks go back an hour). Previous research also suggests that people get less sleep for around a week after both clock changes as they find it difficult to adapt to the new time.
Whilst this new study did find that people slept around an hour less on the Sunday of the Spring clock change than the previous and subsequent Sundays, they did not (or could not) take advantage of the full extra hour of sleep in Autumn. In fact, they only slept for just over half an hour more than the surrounding Sundays.
The study also found that the effect on sleep for the rest of the week differed depending on gender. Men tended to sleep more on the weekdays after both clock changes, although this was more pronounced in Spring. However, this pattern of catch-up sleep was not seen for women. They often slept for less on the weekdays after the clock changes than before. This could be because women experience higher levels of insomnia and sleep difficulties, and that these problems are exacerbated by the clock changes.
Although short-lived, the sleep loss seen over the Spring clock change in this study has serious consequences for health, as just one night of sleep loss has been associated with a decline in mental and physical health. Also, research has found that the clock changes themselves are associated with an increase in heart attacks, strokes, road traffic accidents and depression.
Melanie de Lange, a Wellcome -funded epidemiology PhD student in the Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences (PHS) and MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, and study author, said: “With a growing number of countries - including the US and those in the EU - moving to end the clock changes, the practise of daylight saving time is the focus of much current debate.
“Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that the shift forward to daylight saving time in Spring is associated with an acute loss of sleep, which has implications for the health of the UK population. It is crucial that any future review of the UK’s daylight saving time policy considers the effects of the clock changes on sleep and health.”
Paper
‘The effects of daylight saving time clock changes on accelerometer-measured sleep duration in the UK Biobank’ by Melanie A de Lange, Rebecca C Richmond, Kate Birnie, Chin Yang Shapland, Kate Tilling & Neil M Davies in Journal of Sleep Research [open access]
Peer reviewed: Yes
Type of evidence: Experimental study
Subject: People
Note to editors:
To interview Melanie de Lange, please contact Joanne Fryer [Mon to Wed], email joanne.fryer@bristol.ac.uk, mobile: +44 (0)7747 768805 or Caroline Clancy-Cottle [Wed to Fri], email caroline.clancy@bristol.ac.uk, mobile: +44 (0)7776 170238 in the University of Bristol Media and PR Team.
About the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU)
The MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU) at the University of Bristol conducts some of the UK's most advanced population health science research. It uses genetics, population data and experimental interventions to look for the underlying causes of chronic disease. The unit exploits the latest advances in genetic and epigenetic technologies. They develop new analytic methods to improve our understanding of how our family background behaviours and genes interact to influence health outcomes.
About UK Biobank
UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing de-identified genetic, lifestyle and health information and biological samples from half a million UK participants. It is the most comprehensive and widely-used dataset of its kind, and is globally accessible to approved researchers who are undertaking health-related research that is in the public interest, whether they are from academic, commercial, government or charitable settings. UK Biobank is helping to advance modern medicine and enable better understanding of the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide range of serious and life-threatening illnesses – including cancer, heart disease and stroke. Over 30,000 researchers from more than 90 countries are registered to use UK Biobank and more than 10,000 peer-reviewed papers have been published as a result. UK Biobank is supported by Wellcome and the Medical Research Council, as well as the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, the UK Government’s National Institute for Health and Care Research and Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, Griffin Catalyst and Schmidt Futures.
Follow UK Biobank: @uk_biobank, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram
About Wellcome
Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we’re taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.
Issued by the University of Bristol Media and PR Team
Journal
Journal of Sleep Research
Method of Research
Observational study
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
The effects of daylight saving time clock changes on accelerometer-measured sleep duration in the UK Biobank’
Article Publication Date
25-Oct-2024
Sleep experts call for UK to abolish twice-yearly clock changes
A team of leading sleep researchers from the British Sleep Society have called for the government to abolish the twice-yearly clock changes in the UK due to the adverse effects on sleep and circadian health.
A team of leading sleep researchers from the British Sleep Society have called for the government to abolish the twice-yearly clock changes in the UK due to the adverse effects on sleep and circadian health.
After considering the available scientific evidence that circadian and sleep health are positively affected by the availability of natural daylight during the morning and negatively affected by the twice-yearly changes of clock time, especially when the clocks move forward in spring, the British Sleep Society recommends the abolition of the twice-yearly clock changes in the UK.
With sleep being central to health and wellbeing, the Society has issued a statement saying that it “strongly recommends” for Standard Time – also known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) – to run throughout the year.
The statement, which is published in the Journal of Sleep Research today (Wednesday 23 October), is co-authored by academics from across the UK, led by Dr Megan Crawford of the University of Strathcylde, Dr Eva Winnebeck of the University of Surrey, and Professor Malcolm von Schantz of Northumbria University.
The Society has published its statement to coincide with the clocks changing to Standard Time this weekend, an arrangement which began in 1972 with the British Summer Time Act.
Evidence reviewed by the Society shows the changes of clock time to Daylight Saving Time (DST) in late March, more widely known as British Summer Time (BST), can interfere negatively with sleep regulation.
Malcolm von Schantz, Professor of Chronobiology at Northumbria University and a member of the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research, said: “There is an ongoing debate in the UK and in other countries about whether twice-yearly changes into and out of Daylight Saving Time should be abolished.
“Standard Time aligns closely with the natural light-dark cycles of the day and night. In calling for Standard Time to run year-long, the Society emphasises that natural daylight in the morning is crucial for maintaining an optimal alignment of our body clocks with day and night, which is essential for optimal sleep and overall health.”
Professor von Schantz added: “Restoring permanent Standard Time would mean our clocks would be closely aligned to solar time, and while it would mean earlier sunsets in the summer, there would be additional benefits to health from improved sleep and circadian alignment due to increased exposure to morning sunlight from autumn to spring.”
Dr Eva Winnebeck, Lecturer in Chronobiology at the University of Surrey, explains: “What we often don’t realise is that Daylight Saving Time changes our schedules, moving them forward by one hour while daylight remains the same. DST forces us all to get up and go to work or school one hour earlier. In seasons with fewer daylight hours such as now in autumn, it means most of us have to get up and commute in the dark.”
Members of the British Sleep Society assessed the unique geographical context and orientation of the UK in their decision making. Noting that almost the entire UK is located to the west of the Prime Meridian which passes through the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, most of the country experiences later sunrises and later sunsets all year round.
The Society also noted that if the UK considers changes to the current time zone arrangements, then the discussion and decision should be taken in partnership with the Republic of Ireland to avoid a time zone border across the island.
“Discussions around abolishing the twice-yearly clock change keep emerging, alarmingly some want to replace it with Daylight Saving Time all year round” says Dr Megan Crawford, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Strathclyde.
“We consider this a misguided idea from a sleep and circadian health perspective. Mornings are the time when our body clocks have the greatest need for light to stay in synch. At our latitudes there is simply no spare daylight to save during the winter months and given the choice between natural light in the morning and natural light in the afternoon, the scientific evidence favours light in the morning.”
She added: “Other sleep societies have argued against this and the return to all year-round Standard Time, but there is currently no published UK perspective. The unique location and orientation of our UK landmass needs to be considered because permanent DST would over-disadvantage people west and north of London.”
The full position statement from the British Sleep Society, titled DST in the UK, is available to view in the Journal of Sleep Research. It is supported by several organizations, including The Irish Sleep Society, British Paediatric Sleep Society, Capella (Sleep Action), The Sleep Charity, and The British Society of Pharmacy Sleep Services.
Experts in the Northumbria Centre for Sleep Research study and treat disorders of sleep and wakefulness, examining how biological, psychological, social and environmental circumstances affect sleep, as well as assessing, diagnosing and treating sleep disorders. Many studies are carried out within the Centre’s purpose-built two-bedroom en suite facility which has a fully integrated kitchen and laboratory control room.
Journal
Journal of Sleep Research
Method of Research
News article
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
The British Sleep Society position statement on Daylight Saving Time in the UK: DST in the UK
Article Publication Date
23-Oct-2024
British Sleep Society advocates for permanent Standard Time in the UK
Wiley
The British Sleep Society has released a position statement in the Journal of Sleep Research advocating for the abolition of the twice-yearly clock changes in the UK and the restoration of permanent Standard Time (Greenwich Mean Time). This recommendation is based on scientific evidence highlighting the adverse effects of the clock change and Daylight Saving Time (DST) on sleep and circadian health.
The British Sleep Society emphasizes that sleep is central to health and well-being and the enforced changes of clock time to DST can interfere negatively with sleep regulation. “What we often don’t realize is that DST changes our schedules, moving them forward by one hour while daylight remains the same. DST forces us all to get up and go to work or school one hour earlier, often in the dark,” said co-author Eva Winnebeck, PhD, of the University of Surrey. The Society stresses that natural daylight in the morning is crucial for maintaining an alignment of our body clocks with day and night, which is essential for optimal sleep and overall health.
"Some people even advocate switching to DST all year around. We think this is misguided, because it would leave us with dark mornings during the winter, and morning light is critically important for keeping our body clocks synchronized,” says coauthor Malcolm von Schantz, PhD, of Northumbria University.
Other sleep societies have also argued against year-round DST and advocate for the return to year-round Standard Time, but this position statement is the first published UK perspective. “The unique location and orientation of our UK landmass needs to be considered because permanent DST would over-disadvantage people west and north of London,” said first author Megan Crawford, PhD, of the University of Strathclyde.
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsr.14352
Additional Information
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About the Journal
The Journal of Sleep Research, owned by the European Sleep Research Society, is an international journal dedicated to basic and clinical sleep research, reflecting the progress in this rapidly expanding field, and promoting the exchange of ideas between scientists at a global level.
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Journal
Journal of Sleep Research
Article Title
The British Sleep Society position statement on Daylight Saving Time in the UK
Article Publication Date
23-Oct-2024
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