Clock change 2023: When do the clocks go forward in the UK this year and do we gain or lose an hour of sleep?

Daylight saving time, also known as when clocks go forward, is a practice observed by around 70 countries worldwide in one form or another. Much of Europe and North America and some of South America and Australasia change their clocks, but many countries in Africa and Asia located around the equator do not change their clocks.

A campaign organised at the start of the 20th century to change the clocks during the summer months, known as British Summer Time, means that every year in March the clocks are set an hour ahead. It was argued that by changing the clocks during the summer, people in the northern half of the equator could make more use of the earlier daylight hours.

The idea is thought to have been first proposed in 1784 by US polymath Benjamin Franklin. At that time, he suggested that waking up earlier in the summer would economise on candle usage. Here is everything you need to know about the clock change in March.

When do the clocks go forward in the UK this year?

In the UK the clocks go forward one hour on the last Sunday in March; this year that date falls on March 26.

The clocks are set one hour ahead at 1am that day, this practice is called British Summer Time (BST) and this means there is more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings.

Do we gain or lose an hour of sleep when clocks go forward?

On one hand, when clocks go forward, our days extend longer and nights become shorter, meaning it will feel like we have longer days.

However, in the short term or the morning clocks go forward, it means that we will lose an hour in bed.

An easy way to remember to set your clock an hour ahead for the British Summer Time is to remember this: Spring Forward - Fall Back.