End of daylight saving: Daylight saving in New Zealand ends on the first Sunday of April, this year on April 5th. Clocks are set back an hour at 3:00 am, which means gaining an extra hour of sleep.
Purpose of daylight saving: Implemented to maximise daylight during summer months for outdoor activities and reduce energy consumption, daylight saving is not worldwide. Countries near the equator don’t use it due to equal daylight and darkness hours.
History of daylight saving: First introduced in 1927, abandoned in 1946, and reintroduced in 1975, daylight saving in NZ was extended twice following public consultation. It’s now observed from the last Sunday of September to the first Sunday in April.
Impact on sleep: The time change can disrupt sleep patterns and circadian rhythms. Tips to reduce sleep disruption include limiting caffeine and alcohol, maintaining a routine, and ensuring a suitable sleep environment.
The end of daylight saving is almost upon us! If you’re like most people you love a bit of a sleep in, so rolling back the clocks on Sunday night can feel like the gift of an extra hour of sleep on Monday morning. Last week’s 6 am according to your body clock is now suddenly 5 am. Time to celebrate right? Maybe not. In this article, we’ll discuss why we have daylight saving in New Zealand and how shifting our clocks just one hour this April can have an impact on your sleep and wellbeing.
The end of daylight saving occurs in Autumn in NZ. This year, daylight saving ends on Sunday 5th April at 3:00 am, when our clocks will be rolled back by 1 hour. In countries that use the term Fall instead of Autumn, the phrase Fall Back is used as a reminder to turn clocks back one hour. On the flip side, when daylight saving starts, we will often see the term Spring Forward.
Thanks to digital technology and WIFI connections, most of us don’t actually have to do anything to many of our clocks; connected devices should automatically update overnight. That said, some clocks still need to be manually set. We all have that one friend whose car time is only correct for six months of the year.
The simple reason why we have daylight saving is to make the best use of the daylight available. Between September and March, we take an hour of daylight from the morning and add it to the end of the day. This gives us another hour to enjoy sun in the warmer summer months; after work BBQs and evening trips to the beach are made more possible thanks to daylight saving.
Not all countries have daylight saving either. Countries near the Earth’s equator have days and nights that are approximately the same length. But since NZ is closer to the South Pole, there’s far more daylight in summer compared to winter. This means that daylight saving is more helpful here than it would be in countries near the equator.
There are also some people who claim that daylight saving helps reduce energy consumption. According to a New Zealand Power Authority report from 2010 power usage decreases by about 1% during spring and summer because less electricity is used for lighting and appliances. Many Kiwis plan outdoor activities in the extra daylight hours and of course, when people aren’t home, they don’t switch on the appliances and lights.
The correct term is daylight saving time and not daylight savings time (with an extra “s”), though many of us still say it the wrong way. The technical explanation is that the word “saving” is singular since it acts as part of an adjective rather than a verb. It’s also not capitalised, unless used in acronym form.
New Zealand first observed daylight saving in 1927. However, the dates and time difference changed a few times over the next several years. Then in 1946, daylight saving was discontinued in New Zealand and replaced with New Zealand summertime. It wasn’t until the mid 70s when daylight saving was trialled again and eventually re-introduced in 1975.
Ten years later the NZ government surveyed Kiwis to get a clear picture of the public attitudes towards daylight saving. As a result, daylight saving time was extend twice over the years. Finally in 2006 a public debate raged over daylight saving and a petition to extend daylight saving was presented to Parliament. The petition passed and now New Zealand observes daylight saving from the last Sunday in September to the first Sunday in April.
In 2008 a survey was conducted to ask New Zealanders how they feel about daylight saving. According to the survey results, 82% of new Zealanders approved of daylight saving, with more than half of those survey indicating that they LOVE daylight saving, while 10% disapprove of it.
Individuals who thought daylight saving had an influence on their sleep and wellbeing mostly reported benefits, with 31% of respondents stating that the effects on them were all positive, 14% claiming both positive and negative impacts, and 5% claimed they experienced only negative effects.
Members of the Tourism Industry Association and the Hospitality Association also had their say on the impact of the extension of daylight saving time in 2008. Of those that responded, 73% thought the extension to daylight saving was helpful for their business.
Even though we gain an additional hour of sleep, the sudden shift can wreak havoc on your sleeping patterns and leave you feeling like you’ve just survived a 12-hour international flight, crying baby and all. Let’s call it daylight saving jet lag!
This daylight saving jet lag you experience is your body’s way of telling you that your circadian rhythm is misaligned. In other words, when your body clock doesn’t match the actual time, you will likely experience some sleep and wellbeing issues.
Your circadian rhythm is an internal body clock that affects your sleep-wake cycle and other energy changes in roughly 24-hour periods. Keeping a consistent sleep pattern that fits with your circadian cycle makes it easier to receive the sleep your body requires.
The twice-yearly time changes connected with daylight saving time can disrupt your circadian rhythm and make it harder to get sufficient sleep, which can contribute to sleep debt and leave you feeling less than your best.
It can take your body up to two weeks to completely adjust to this one-hour shift in time, so easing into the new schedule can help minimise your daylight saving jet lag. Here are some tips that will help you get good night’s sleep as you transition through the shift in time.
Children can become restless at bedtime or wake too early when daylight saving ends. To help them adjust, try shifting their bedtime just 10 minutes earlier each night, starting a few days before the change. This gentle transition makes change less jarring for little bodies. It’s also a good time to make sure bedtime is optimised for sleep: keep bedrooms cool, dark, and calm, and build relaxing bedtime routines that help their brains understand it’s time to rest, even if the clock says otherwise.
This end of daylight saving is a great opportunity to improve your sleep habits, especially if you can take advantage of that coveted extra hour of sleep on Monday morning.
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Yes, the reduction in daylight hours can affect health by disrupting your circadian rhythm – your internal body clock that regulates sleep, energy, and mood. Morning light exposure helps suppress melatonin production and boosts serotonin. When mornings are darker, this natural process is delayed and you can feel sleepier longer. Research shows circadian disruption is linked to depression, seasonal affective disorder, and metabolic issues.
According to chronobiologist Associate Professor Guy Warman, most people experience a few days of “jet lag” after the time change, with full adjustment taking about three to five days. Getting at least 15 minutes of natural morning light without sunglasses is essential during this period to help re-sync your circadian clock as quickly as possible.
Most modern devices connected to the internet, including smartphones, computers, and smart TVs, will automatically update when daylight saving ends. However, older devices or equipment with manually adjusted time settings may need updating by hand. Car clocks, microwaves, and older alarm clocks will also require manual adjustment.
New Zealand observes daylight saving to make better use of longer summer daylight hours, shifting an hour of light from morning to evening. The concept originated with Wellington entomologist George Hudson in the 1890s, who wanted extra evening daylight for insect collecting. Daylight saving was permanently adopted in 1975 following the Time Act 1974.
