Daylight saving time will kick in this weekend. Here’s how to prepare

Daylight saving time is looming for many Australians, meaning half the country will be adjusting to a new time zone.

Here’s what you need to know before the clocks change.

When does daylight saving time start?

On Sunday morning.

Each year, daylight saving time kicks in on the first Sunday of October.

This year, that’s October 4.

Which states have daylight saving time?

• ACT
• New South Wales
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria

The Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia do not observe daylight saving time, so clocks will not need to change in those jurisdictions.

Do the clocks move forwards or backwards?

Forwards.

At 2am on Sunday morning, the clocks will move forward to 3am in jurisdictions that observe daylight saving time.

The clocks will go back by an hour when daylight saving time ends in April.

Do I have to do anything?

The clocks in most smart devices will automatically update, so you probably won’t have to change the time on your phone.

However, you’ll need to adjust the time on your analogue clocks, as well as the clocks on some appliances including ovens and microwaves.

The New South Wales government recommends changing the time before you turn in for the night on Saturday.

“To kickstart your day and avoid any timing issues, set your watch and household clocks that don’t automatically update overnight to the new time before you go to bed,” the NSW government website says.

Start preparing tonight

The Sleep Health Foundation recommendsgoing to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier for the three or four nights leading up to the change.

Even though daylight saving time begins in two sleeps, there’s nothing stopping you from trying an earlier bedtime tonight.

And while you’re at it, plan on waking up a little earlier over the weekend too.

The Sleep Health Foundation says setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier on Saturday and Sunday mornings will help you prepare for an early start on Monday.

Take time to adjust

If you can, try to spend a bit of time out in the early morning light to reset your body clock, the New South Wales government says.

And give yourself some grace if things feel a bit off next week, because the Sleep Health Foundation says it can take about a week to adjust to the new time zone.

It offers the following tips to help ease into the change:

• Make your bedroom as bright as possible when you first wake up
• Exercise outside in the mornings
• Avoid exercise just before bed
• Avoid going to bed hungry or too soon after a meal