When do the clocks go back in October 2023 and do you gain or lose an hour of sleep?

As summer comes to an end, the days get shorter, nights become longer and darker and the weather becomes colder. Six days before Halloween and just over a week to go before Bonfire Night.

Twice a year across the country people must change their clocks to reflect the changing seasons, moving them an hour forward at the start of summer and backward at the start of winter.

Currently, our clocks are operating on British Summer Time, also known as Daylight Saving Time, after being put forward in March this year.

But when do the clocks change for winter? Here is everything you need to know.

When do the clocks go back this year?

In the UK the clocks go back an hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October, meaning this year the clocks will change on October 29.

This means that you will need to change your clocks on the night of October 28 before you go to sleep, in case you forget in the early hours of the morning.

This is called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), while when clocks go forward in summer it’s called British Summer Time (BST).

When the clocks go back, the periods of light become shorter and the night air arrives quicker.

Do we gain or lose an hour of sleep when clocks go back?

Good news. When clocks go back an hour, we gain an hour in bed.

For example, 8am in the morning becomes 7am instead.