As the clocks go back on 25 October, we gain that welcome extra hour in bed. But while the clocks on our walls and phones can change instantly, our internal body clock is a little different.

The shift in time, daylight and routine can leave some of us feeling slightly out of sync, which makes the clock change a useful moment to pause and look at the habits that support our sleep.

While we often think sleep begins at bedtime, our sleep habits actually start from the moment we wake up.

"Sleep is not an isolated behaviour. It’s influenced by how we live throughout the entire day" - Grant Payne, Lead Wellbeing Coach

5 Ways to Reset Your Sleep Rhythm After the Clock Change

As the evenings draw in, here are five simple ways to work with your natural sleep rhythm and create the conditions for better rest.

1. Let daylight help set your internal clock

Your body runs on an internal cycle of roughly 24 hours, known as your circadian rhythm. Light is one of the most important signals helping to keep that rhythm on track.

Daylight helps your body recognise that it is time to be awake, while darkness later helps signal that it is time to prepare for sleep. Melatonin, one of the hormones involved in sleepiness, naturally rises as it gets darker.

This becomes particularly relevant after the autumn clock change, when the evenings are darker and many of us spend more of our waking hours indoors.

Think about a typical morning. You wake up in a dark bedroom, get ready under artificial light, travel to work and then sit inside for most of the day.

2. Give your stress somewhere to go before bedtime

Stress does not simply disappear because we have decided it is time to sleep.

Cortisol plays an important role in helping us feel awake and alert, but when we spend the whole day rushing from one thing to another, it can be difficult for our mind and body to suddenly switch off at bedtime.

You might physically stop working at 5.30pm, but your brain can still be replaying the conversation you had at 11am, planning tomorrow's workload or remembering the email you forgot to send.

Creating small moments to reset during the day can help stop everything being saved up for the moment your head hits the pillow.

3. Move during the day to help you rest at night

Regular physical activity can also support better sleep, and it does not need to mean a hard workout or an hour at the gym.

A lunchtime walk, taking the stairs, stretching between meetings or getting outside after work all count.

Sometimes we can reach the end of a mentally exhausting day feeling completely drained, while physically our bodies have barely moved.

4. Give your brain a clear signal that the day is ending

Bright lights. Work emails. Television. Social media. News. Group chats. One more episode. One final scroll.

Then we put the phone down, turn the light off, and expect sleep to happen immediately. Bright artificial light and stimulation late in the evening can interfere with the natural signals that help prepare us for sleep.

This does not mean you need a two-hour bedtime ritual involving candles, herbal tea and complete digital silence.

You simply need to give your brain a little notice that the day is coming to an end.

5. Focus on rhythms, not quick fixes

When our sleep feels out of sync, it is tempting to search for the thing that will fix it.

Better sleep is rarely about one quick fix. It is usually shaped by the patterns we repeat.

Regular sleep and wake times, daylight, movement, managing caffeine and giving ourselves time to wind down all play a part.

That is why the clock change can be such a useful reminder. Not because you need to completely redesign your routine, but because it gives you a chance to notice what is and is not working.

Embrace the clock change this autumn

As the clock change arrives on 25 October, enjoy the extra hour in bed, but use it as an opportunity to look beyond bedtime too. Sometimes, a 1% change is all you need to start moving in the right direction.

The goal isn't perfect sleep. It's creating the conditions that make better sleep more likely. It comes from the small things we do throughout the day, repeated often enough to become part of our rhythm.

Sleep is not time lost. It's recovery invested.