Clock changes

Clocks Go Back: Do We Really Get an Extra Hour of Sleep?

On the night the clocks went back in 2026, Brits got 5 minutes more sleep, went to bed 13 minutes later and got up 29 minutes earlier than on a typical Saturday night.

In the UK the clocks go back one hour at 2am on the last Sunday of October, giving everyone an extra hour in bed, in theory. We compared the night of the change with the Saturdays around it to see how much of that hour people actually keep.

Updated daily · data to Nov 1, 2026 · How we measure

In 358 daysClocks go back (UK) 2027 falls on Saturday, October 30, 2027. Results will be published a few days later.

Sleep vs normal

+5 min

7h 00m vs 6h 55m

Wake-ups vs normal

+3%

3.4 vs 3.3 per night

Bedtime

10:52pm

+13 min vs usual 10:39pm

Under 6 hours of sleep

26%

−2 pts vs usual 28%

What the data shows

  • Brits slept an average of 7h 00m, compared with 6h 55m on a typical Saturday night.
  • 31% fell asleep after midnight, compared with 25% normally.
  • The next morning, people got up at 8:06am on average, 29 minutes earlier than usual.
  • 26% of sleepers got less than six hours, against 28% on a normal Saturday.
  • The effect was smaller than in 2025, when the change in sleep was +7 min.

Sleep in the nights around Clocks go back (UK) 2026

United Kingdom · dashed line is a typical Saturday

  • Sleep
  • Typical Saturday

Source: Sleepiest sleep data · to Nov 1, 2026

Sleep in the nights around Clocks go back (UK) 2026
NightSleepWake-upsBedtime
Oct 17, 20266h 58m3.3210:39pm
Oct 18, 20266h 43m3.1710:30pm
Oct 19, 20266h 46m3.2310:31pm
Oct 20, 20266h 37m3.2710:31pm
Oct 21, 20266h 38m3.2810:31pm
Oct 22, 20266h 40m3.2510:31pm
Oct 23, 20266h 44m3.3110:45pm
Oct 24, 20267h 00m3.3910:52pm
Oct 25, 20266h 36m3.2010:31pm
Oct 26, 20266h 35m3.4410:35pm
Oct 27, 20266h 35m3.2810:36pm
Oct 28, 20266h 37m3.2210:30pm
Oct 29, 20266h 36m3.0710:36pm
Oct 30, 20266h 40m3.1910:44pm
Oct 31, 20266h 45m3.3310:52pm

Wake-ups in the nights around Clocks go back (UK) 2026

United Kingdom · average times sleep was broken per night

  • Wake-ups
  • Typical Saturday

Source: Sleepiest sleep data · to Nov 1, 2026

Wake-ups in the nights around Clocks go back (UK) 2026
NightWake-ups
Oct 17, 20263.32
Oct 18, 20263.17
Oct 19, 20263.23
Oct 20, 20263.27
Oct 21, 20263.28
Oct 22, 20263.25
Oct 23, 20263.31
Oct 24, 20263.39
Oct 25, 20263.20
Oct 26, 20263.44
Oct 27, 20263.28
Oct 28, 20263.22
Oct 29, 20263.07
Oct 30, 20263.19
Oct 31, 20263.33

Clocks go back (UK), year on year

United Kingdom · minutes of sleep vs a typical night

Source: Sleepiest sleep data · to Nov 1, 2026

Clocks go back (UK), year on year
YearNightSleep vs normalWake-ups vs normalBedtime vs normal
2025Oct 25, 2025+7 min−7%+4 min
2026Oct 24, 2026+5 min+3%+13 min

Upcoming dates

  • Clocks go back (UK) 2027Saturday, October 30, 2027

Frequently asked questions

When do the clocks go back in the UK?

At 2am on the last Sunday in October, when the clocks go back to 1am. In 2026 that is Sunday 25 October.

Do we get an extra hour of sleep when the clocks go back?

On paper, yes. In our data, Brits kept only a few minutes of it. Many people stay up later on the Saturday night or wake at their usual body-clock time.

How do I adjust when the clocks go back?

Keep your normal clock bedtime, get bright light in the morning, and expect to wake a little early for a few days while your body clock catches up.

More sleep data

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Figures are anonymised averages from Sleepiest app users who track their sleep, not a representative sample of the population. Nights are compared with the same weekday in the surrounding weeks. Groups with too few sleepers are never shown. Methodology