Everything you need to know about the clocks in 2022

The clocks will be launched at the end of March, with Daylight Saving Time starting on Sunday 27th March.

n the early hours of this Sunday, the country will lose an hour of sleep as clocks are put forward to mark the start of what is known as ‘British Summer Time’.

In today’s digitized world, many people don’t need to worry about setting the hands of a watch – but here’s why.

What is British Summer Time?

The idea of ​​British Summer Time (BST) was first proposed in the UK by William Willett, who happens to be the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. He has the feeling that valuable daylight is wasted in the mornings in the summer months because people are still in bed.

In 1907 he published a pamphlet entitled The waste of daylight, in which he outlined his plans to change the time of the nation’s clocks. But when he died in 1915, the government still refused to support BST.

It wasn’t until a year later, in May 1916, that Britain passed the Summer Time Act and began changing its clocks twice a year. Ireland followed.

What are the advantages?

Proponents argue that British Summer Time is good for physical and mental health, particularly in terms of relieving symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

The lighter evenings are also said to reduce traffic accidents and crime.

And the disadvantages?

Well, there’s always a risk of being late for a family dinner/football game/church service. But more seriously, critics have said that changing the clocks is economically and socially disruptive and therefore negates all benefits.

There are also a number of theories that suggest that turning the clocks forward has negative effects on the human body — in 2012, a University of Alabama study found that the risk of a heart attack increased on the Monday and Tuesday after the clocks went forward at 10 percent increase.

What is British Double Summer Time (BDST)?

In 1940, during the Second World War, clocks across Britain were not put back an hour at the end of British Summer Time to save fuel and money.

However, in the years that followed, they continued to be advanced by one hour each spring and then retarded by one hour each fall until July 1945. This meant Britain was two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time during those summers.

When exactly will the watches be presented?

Daylight Saving Time starts on Sunday March 27th.

This means that you should put your clocks forward at 1am on Sunday 27th or, failing that, before you go to bed on Saturday.

Ireland, along with the rest of the EU, was due to end the daylight saving time change last year, but complications with both Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic have delayed this.