Spring forward: easing into the lost hour

Daylight saving starts this Sunday, 27 September. At 2am the clocks jump forward to 3am, and just like that, we lose an hour. Lighter evenings are on the way, which is lovely. But the spring shift is the harder of the two, because you are giving an hour up rather than getting one back, and your body tends to notice.

Why the lost hour lands harder

When the clocks go back in autumn, you gain an hour and it feels like a small gift. Going forward is the opposite. Suddenly it is darker in the morning again and bedtime arrives an hour earlier than your body thinks it should. For a few days you can feel a little out of step, waking groggy, taking longer to settle at night. That is normal, and it passes. A bit of preparation just makes it smoother.

Ease into it rather than crashing into it

The trick is to meet the change halfway instead of letting it hit all at once on Sunday night.

Shift gradually. For the few nights before and after, try going to bed fifteen or twenty minutes earlier than usual. Nudging your rhythm slowly beats trying to force a whole hour overnight.

Keep your wake-up time steady. A consistent get-up time, even at the weekend, is the single most useful anchor when your rhythm is adjusting. It gives the rest of your sleep something to organise itself around.

Get morning light early. Open the curtains, step outside, let your body register that the day has started. Morning light is the clearest signal there is that it is time to be awake.

Protect the wind-down. With the evenings lighter, it is tempting to keep going later and later. Hold onto a calm hour before bed anyway. Lower the lights, put the screens down, and let the evening slow even if it is still bright outside.

Do not overcorrect. You will not claw the lost hour back with one big sleep-in. A steady routine settles you far quicker than chasing extra hours in bed.

A good moment to reset the evening

A clock change is a natural prompt to tidy up your wind-down for the new season. As the nights get lighter and warmer, keeping a simple, familiar close to the day matters more, not less. A softer light, a cooler room, and something comforting to settle under. The gentle weight of a Groundd blanket is an easy cue that the day is done, even when the sky has not quite caught up.

Give it a few nights and the lost hour stops mattering. Then it is just longer, lighter evenings from here, which is the good part.