Why Do We Still Alter The Clocks

[renegadefm]

Why do we still alter the clocks forward in March and back in October? I find it depressing, and so irritating.

My belief is if we just kept the clocks set at British Summer time, we wouldn't lose so much daylight in the evenings in October. 

Its really depressing being dark by 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 

As far as I am aware the UK is still the only country that alters the clocks. 

I work shifts, so occasionally we are forced to work an extra hour due to the clocks going back, it's so annoying. 

Its been proven that darker evenings genuinely causes depression in some people. 

Can't we just leave them alone? 

[Ellipsis]

I have some sympathy, but many countries do change the clocks twice a year:

https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/when-do-clocks-go-back#:~:text=Much%20of%20Europe%20and%20North,all%20states%20change%20their%20clocks.

Much of Europe and North America, as well as parts of South America and Australasia, change their clocks. However, many countries in Africa and Asia situated around the equator do not change the time. 

[miser]

With the war over, Britain returned to British Summer Time except for an experiment between 1968 and 1971 when the clocks went forward but were not put back. The experiment was discontinued as it was found impossible to assess the advantages and disadvantages of British Summer Time.

[Ken4155]

Surely, if you have to work an extra hour when the clocks go back, you will work an hour less when they go forward?

[Canary42]

Why do we still trot out this qestion year after year.

Oh dear, having to work an extra hour once a year mst be so trying.

The retention of BST over the winter period was tried some years ago (I remember it well) and people generally found it unsatisfactory.

 

[Auntypoll]

The clocks go back to GMT in October so if we stopped changing them in march to British summertime, then the winter nights would get dark at the same time as they do now, but the summer nights wouldn't be as long. Id rather have the light nights in the summertime.

[Old_Geezer]

We do it for the reason we always have since we started. It makes sense.

Mornings stay darker in the summer until it's time to get up, and we also have nice light evenings. In winter the dangerous period having just woken up and braving the world on the way to work we have made it as light as possible, and the evenings are going to be dark & foreboding anyway. 

[jourdain2]

How far North do you live?  O_G explained it well.

[Hopkirk]

They call it 'daylight saving' but it doesn't save any daylight - you get just as much.

It's a pointless and maddening procedure. 

Canary, if you work 12 hour shifts then an extra hour is significant. 

Ken, the shift pattern might mean you don't get the hour back.

[renegadefm]

Ken4155, 

It depends on where my shifts fall into place, I work nights and days, not a Monday to Friday situation. 

But my main pet hate is when they change in October because we instantly lose an hours daylight, and that's what depresses me, but if we left them set to British Summer time, winter wouldn't feel so bad in my opinion. 

I can handle dark mornings, that doesn't bother me, its the feeling of having such a short day affects me when they change in October. And I don't really start to feel better until now. 

Sounds silly to some, but clock altering can really play with people's moods, and just seems to make winter seem worse than it needs to be. 

[New Judge]

“My belief is if we just kept the clocks set at British Summer time,…”

With clocks set at GMT in the winter, the latest sunrise in London (in late December) is at 8:06am. In Edinburgh it is 8:44am and in Inverness it is 9:01am. If Summer Time was kept all the year round you must add an hour to these times. So in London it would not be light much before 9:30am and in much of Scotland it would not be light until well after 10am. This would cause considerable difficulties for children who would have to go to school in the dark and would not be too much fun for most other people.

If there is an argument for keeping the clocks unchanged throughout the year that argument falls more strongly on keeping them at GMT. At present, when on BST, the earliest sunrise in London (in the last week of June) is 4:43am whilst the latest sunset is 9:21pm. If GMT was maintained they would be 3:43am and 8:21pm. Neither of these GMT times would cause anybody any particular inconvenience. For the vast majority of people, whether it gets light at 4am or 5am would make very little difference as that is well before the time most people stir. As far as the evenings go, an 8:21pm sunset would still see it fairly light until around 9pm.

“we wouldn't lose so much daylight in the evenings in October.

Its really depressing being dark by 4 o'clock in the afternoon.”

Leaving aside the fact that we can neither “lose” nor “gain” daylight by altering the clocks, under the current arrangement British Summer Time does not end until the last Sunday in October, meaning that month would remain largely unaltered.

[gingejbee]

^well, it plays with your mood. Doesn't affect mine.

[brainiac]

It certainly affects mine: very much for the better when, as today, the clocks have sprung forward and it will be light till just after 8pm.  Massively cheering.

[New Judge]

“Because we instantly lose an hours daylight…”

We don’t lose or gain any daylight by altering the clocks. We just call it a different time when it gets dark or light.

“I find it depressing, and so irritating.”

“I work shifts,....”

“It depends on where my shifts fall into place,…”

“I can handle dark mornings, that doesn't bother me,…”

“I don't really start to feel better until now.” 

I’ve an idea you haven’t looked at the bigger picture here.

 

[New Judge]

"Can't we just leave them alone? 

I've just come up with an idea. Since your main gripe seems to be how changing the clocks sffect you, why don't you leave your clocks and watches unchanged at British Summer Time throughout the year and leave everybody else to change theirs? This means when everybody thinks it gets dark at 4pm, you can go on happily believing it does so at 5pm. 

[fiveleaves]

The UK is at a latitude where altering the clocks by an hour in the spring and autumn actually makes a significant difference.

Iceland keeps the same time all year round as gaining or losing an hour would hardly make any difference

[renegadefm]

I suppose I would except it if they remained unchanged at GMT. 

What affects me mainly is when they change in October, it's that sudden plumit into darkness by just after 4 in the afternoon I cant handle. 

I love going for walks with my daughter in the evenings, that all comes to a grinding halt in October. So maybe keeping them at GMT I wouldn't notice that sudden change in daylight. 

Dark mornings don't bother me as much because in my head I know daylight won't be long to appear. 

It's been scientifically proven that dark evenings can increase depression, so it's no joke really. 

And yes I work 12 hour shifts, so it's damn annoying working 13 when I never get those hours back, my shift pattern just misses the other end of the scale. I think its based on a 7 year pattern before that switches. But I've missed all that due to changing shifts etc. 

So I would settle for it to be kept at GMB, but I prefer if it was BST due to personal preference.

What confuses me is GMT suites children so they go to school in daylight, yet it's alright for it to be dark by 4pm so children can't go out after they come home from school. 

Around here theres children out in the dark in the winter months, what difference does it make? 

[fiveleaves]

We are all at a latitude between 50 and 60.0  degrees north.

The government cant work miracles, daylight is always going to be rather limited in December and somewhat abundant in June, whatever action we take.

[renegadefm]

five leaves, 

Your missing my point, it's the sudden loss of an hours daylight in October when the clocks go back is what affects me. 

[calmck]

I worked shifts as a nurse. When the clocks changed the day staff came in 30 minutes early to relieve the night staff and the opposite happened when we changed back. We were also paid overtime

[tomus42]

I don't know why they do it. Something to do with farmers and schoolkids that was relevant decades ago.

It's about time it stopped.