AS the Summer has drawn to a close and Autumn takes its place it is time for the clocks to go back.
The change in clocks happens twice a year, once in Spring when they go forward and once in Autumn when they go back.
This change happens on the last weekend of March and the last weekend of October each year.
This can be remembered by the handy rhyme spring forward, fall back.
Meaning the clock goes forward in Spring and back in Fall/Autumn.
This year, the clocks are set to go back on on Sunday October 27, 2024 at 2am.
This means when the clock changes from 1.59am instead of striking 2am it will revert to 1am again.
Thanks to the change, you’ll get an extra hour in bed or an extra hour out partying over the bank holiday weekend.
However, this change will unfortunately mean that the days are about to get shorter with the darker evenings becoming even darker an hour earlier.
When the clocks went forward back in March we gained an extra hour of sunlight.
However, for the spring switch you actually lose an hour of sleep.
This is because when the clock hits 12.59am instead of changing to 1am it jumps to 2am.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO AND SLEEP HACK
Come Sunday morning, you will need to make sure you switch all your clocks and watches that are set manually back an hour.
If your electronic devices such as your phones, TV and laptops are set manually, the time will also need to be changed once you get up.
Before the switch this weekend, you can change your settings to automatically set the time.
Once this setting is selected your time will automatically switch once the change happens at 2am.
If you have an alarm set for Sunday morning on your phone, it will still go off at the correct time – provided your time changes on the phone.
For physical alarm clocks they will not manually update and will need to be changed.
You should either change the time before you go to sleep so that it shows the correct time come morning or set your alarm to go off an hour later.
WHEN DO THE CLOCKS CHANGE AGAIN?
The clocks will go forward again on the last weekend of next March.
This falls on the 30 March, 2025 and will go back once again on 26 October, 2025.
And in 2026 the clocks will go forward on March 29 and back on October 25.
IS THE CHANGE HERE TO STAY?
The clock change which is known as Daylight Savings Time was first introduced in Ireland back in 1916 and has been operating since.
And Justice Minister Helen McEntee has confirmed the change in time twice a year is here to stay despite growing calls to abandon the change.
Minister McEntee– who is responsible for the time issue – has said getting rid of the change would put us out of sync with our neighbours the UK.
Abandoning the change here would see different time zones between Northern Ireland and the south, with some locations just minutes apart.
The latest appeal not to change the clocks every year was made by the Fianna Fail TD Sean Haughey in a written Dail question to the Minister.
Minister McEntee said: “Ireland’s constant position at the EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council has been that it will not support the proposal.
“A major consideration is the possibility that the proposal would lead to the imposition of two time zones on the island.”