Twice a year we change the clocks – and twice a year we ask why. We get two writers to argue whether we should abolish daylight saving time for good in this week’s Debate

Yes: British Standard Time is better for our health

This Sunday we will change our clocks to go forward an hour and face around seven months of living in the “wrong time zone” as we enter Daylight Saving Time (or British Summer Time as it is known here in the UK). Many are looking forward to increased evening light and longer days.

However, these longer days are attributable to seasonal changes as we enter summer, not the clock changes. All we are actually doing is moving our schedules by one hour: having an hour more light in the evening comes at the expense of morning bright light. And morning bright light is crucial for helping to regulate our sleep-wake cycles.

In the summer the sunrises are so early that the lack of morning bright light is not so obvious. However, it is quite noticeable in spring and autumn. For example, on the Monday after the switch, the sun will rise between 6:40-6:50am depending on where you are in the UK. Come October,........

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