How The 2024 Clocks Change & Season Impact Sleep

When the clocks change on 27 October 2024, our sleep cycles will change too, and along with adjusting to the cooler weather and shorter days, we might start to feel a little out of odds. That’s because during the darker nights our body makes more melatonin (the sleep hormone), which impacts how tired we feel.

Charlie Morley, author of Wake Up to Sleep, published by Hay House, says, “Fascinatingly, each year when the clocks go back for Daylight Saving and 1.6 billion people across 70 countries gain an extra hour in bed, there is a 21 per cent decrease in heart attacks the next day. There’s also a big drop in suicides and car crashes worldwide. That all adds up to tens of thousands of fewer deaths around the world from just one extra hour of sleep.”

Charlie, like many modern sleep experts, is an advocate of napping. He said, “Having an extra hour of sleep doesn’t necessarily have to come at night, either. Although seven to nine hours per night should still be aimed for, an hour’s nap during the daytime can have powerful effects and may, for some, be a much more realistic way of boosting their overall sleep quota than trying to do it all at night.”

“In fact, a well-timed nap can work wonders. A University of California study found that a 90-minute afternoon nap actually led to the same improvement in neurological functioning as a full night’s sleep! This means that the day after a bad night’s sleep doesn’t have to be a write-off if you can find time for a sneaky hour or so of shut-eye.”

Transition from Summer to Autumn on Sleep

Two of the biggest factors for good sleep are 1) melatonin and serotonin production and 2) temperature. However, both of these aspects change when we transition into autumn.

Once the clocks have changed and it starts to get even darker earlier, our melatonin production is switched on earlier, so we may start to feel more tired earlier on. Equally, the sun isn’t coming up until later in the morning, so our serotonin production isn’t switched on until a bit later than usual.

To counteract any sudden changes to our sleep, we could start to go to bed a little earlier at night and also try to get more exposure to sunlight during the day, as we edge out of summer and into autumn. In fact, people do tend to sleep an 30-90 mins extra in the winter, so this is perfectly normal.

Temperature-wise, actually having a cooler bedroom offers us better conditions and generally-speaking, we tend to sleep better and more in winter. However, the transition from summer into autumn is when you might have a touch of ‘sleep jet-lag’ because your serotonin production is changing during the season’s transition, and this might impact your sleep.

Because, instead of being woken up with sun like we are in the summer and which is when we experience an early onset of serotonin release, as we edge into autumn, we don’t get as much of that natural serotonin wake-up and instead it’s the alarm clock that wakes us.

Autumn Tips

Try going to bed a little earlier during the week before the clock change, as your body will naturally be producing more melatonin and will be craving a little bit more sleep than usual.

Keep your bedroom cool, just because the weather is dropping doesn’t mean you need to crank up the heating. We don’t sleep as well in bedrooms that are too hot.

As soon as you wake up, get daylight exposure and all throughout the day try to maximise your natural sunlight exposure, like during your lunch hour, or if this isn’t possible, buy a special SAD lamp. This natural sunlight will help to regulate your sleep cycles.

Maintain exercise from summer through to autumn. It’s easier for people to exercise during the summer, however, if you can sustain exercise during the transition and into autumn and winter, this will be beneficial as exercise also leads to good sleep.

Book Plug

This month, a new 10 year anniversary edition of Charlie's first book Dreams of Awakening has been released (Hay House, £14.99). In this updated edition, Charlie unveils his transformative guidebook that delves deeper into the realms of lucid dreaming, incorporating the most recent scientific research, innovative techniques, and insights into using lucid dreaming for healing and personal growth.

Dreams of Awakening serves as a comprehensive roadmap for those seeking psychological and spiritual enrichment through lucid dreaming. Morley draws from over two decades of personal practice and extensive teachings around the globe to provide readers with a rich understanding of lucid dreaming within both Western and Tibetan Buddhist frameworks.

Charlie also has three other books from Hay House, including Wake Up to Sleep, a book featuring 5 Powerful Practices to Transform Stress and Trauma for Peaceful Sleep and Mindful Dreams.

AUTUMN & WINTER SLEEP AND DREAMS:

Charlie can supply more information on how our sleep is impacted by the clock change and change of season. To arrange a phone interview please get in touch using the details below.

Other dream-related themes he can comment on include: