Many Australians will have lost an hour of sleep, with the promise of longer and warmer days ahead as daylight saving time begins in most jurisdictions.
Overnight at 2 a.m. local time on the first Sunday in October, the clocks were put forward one hour.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. (which is 3 a.m. in daylight saving time) on the first Sunday in April, when clocks are pushed back one hour.
Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT observe daylight saving time, while Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia do not.
Here’s how you can adapt and take care of your health.
How advancing clocks affects our sleep
While advancing the clocks in the spring means we “gain” an extra hour of daylight, the Sleep Health Foundation says we also lose an hour of sleep if we’re unprepared.
In general, it is said that moving clocks can disrupt sleep patterns, with “losing” an hour often being more difficult to adjust to than “gaining” an hour when put back on.
Why? Because our circadian rhythms – 24-hour cycles that are part of the body’s internal “clock” – are programmed to match the environmental cycle of light and dark, and this gets out of sync when we wake up at a time when the biological clock is programmed to sleep.
“Our internal biological clock or 24-hour circadian rhythm will have to adjust to jet lag,” it says on its website.
“Although most people do this without a problem, we should be aware that there is an increased risk of drowsiness as the body adjusts to the new time frame.”
People who already struggle to get enough sleep, such as those with sleep disorders or shift work, may have a harder time adjusting, while children will also take longer, according to the foundation.
How can summer time affect our health?
While some argue that there are upsides to daylight saving time, such as more hours of daylight, others argue that it also creates problems.
The relationship between sleep and our overall physical and mental health is well documented. In addition to having an impact on concentration and mood, lack of sleep .
Large-scale studies have shown that chronic sleep disorders are also such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Some studies have also looked at the short-term effects of daylight saving time, which can include shorter sleep duration as well as degraded performance and health.
According to a 20-year study to 2020, immediately increased by 13% and remained higher for the first two days.
As for chronic effects, showed that time differences between the “biological clock” and the “social clock” are associated with lower life expectancy and cognitive problems.
Tips for adapting to daylight saving time
The Sleep and Health Foundation recommends going to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier for three to four days before the clocks are put forward.
On Saturday and Sunday mornings, setting our alarm 30 minutes earlier can help prepare for Monday’s early start.
Once this has taken place, there are ways to adapt to daylight saving time.
The foundation recommends making the bedroom as bright as possible when we first wake up, as well as getting out in the sun and/or exercising outside in the morning.
In addition to advice on getting seven to nine hours of sleep each night, it may help to avoid exercising right before bed, drinking coffee, tea or other beverages containing caffeine and smoking before bed or at night.
The case of daylight saving time in Queensland
There were fresh calls for another vote on DST in Queensland, however, in February,
At the time, she said the issue was not front and center after a referendum proposed by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane.
“We have listened to Queenslanders who have previously said they do not want daylight saving time,” Ms D’Ath previously said.
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