The problem with British Summer Time

On the last Sunday in March, we move into British Summer Time (BST). Firstly, we'd just like to clarify that, despite our title, this is absolutely fine by us. The clock-changing transition marks the start of perfect picnic weather (fingers crossed), the chance to give those bright summer clothes an airing and the kind of sunny days that put a lot of smiles on a lot of people's faces. However, the clocks skipping forward can send our body clocks out of kilter, and herein lies the problem with British Summer Time. We'd like to help, especially to minimise disruption for children, so to find out more about the time change and how it affects us, read on… Horse rider William Willett first suggested BST (also known as Daylight Saving Time) in Britain in 1907, after he branded the amount of daylight first thing in the morning during summer a 'waste'. Although he enjoyed early-morning rides through his local woods, he was incensed by the fact that people were still in bed when the sun had been up for hours. Mr Willett felt so strongly about the matter that he published a pamphlet called The Waste of Daylight, which explained his plans to change the nation's clocks in order to get them up and out of bed earlier during summer. Sadly, Mr Willett never saw his plans come to fruition: he died in 1915 after spending his life trying to change the clocks, only for Germany to introduce the system a year later, and for Britain to follow a few weeks later in May 1916. You can read more about William Willett on the Royal Museums Greenwich site. The benefits of the clocks changing More daylight hours means more chance to exercise or indulge in our hobbies outdoors. It also helps us make the most of our gardens and offers us the chance to save on our electricity bills, as we're not relying on brightly lit up rooms to get ready in the morning! However, there are other benefits to an extra hour of sunlight in the morning. Here are just two: 1) More chance for us to create important vitamin D which our bodies do through a complex process that turns sunlight into the vitamin. One study - discussed here - even concluded that vitamin D supplementation created a 60 per cent drop in the risk of developing any form of cancer. 2) Putting a spring in our step. We all know it's easier to get out of bed feeling positive when it's light outside, but sunlight has even been found to increase the levels of a natural antidepressant - serotonin - in the brain, so an extra hour of sun could help that happy feeling could last! How to prepare your children to lose an hour's sleep The key is to adhere to a strict bedtime in the seven days leading up to the time change. Ensure your children's bedtime is as calming as possible (something that's important at any time of year but will make this transition go more smoothly.) Since your little ones will effectively need to get up an hour early, on the night of the clocks changing put them to bed earlier. However, don’t disrupt their body clocks even more by letting them sleep in too late.  How to reset everyone's body clocks Our top tip is to get everyone out into the sunshine as soon as possible on waking, as the sun resets our body clocks naturally. The problem with British Summer Time