Whether you like or loathe that extra evening hour of daylight, Australia once again pushed the the clock forward in the wee hours of Sunday morning – and sleep experts have shared their tips to make the transition easier.

Clocks went forward an hour on Sunday October 7 from 2am in New South Wales, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Tasmania.

The practice of ‘winding forward the clock’ has become antiquated in the world of smartphones and computers that adjust themselves without the assistance of our nimble fingers.

That takes care of the tech gear, but our biological clocks still need some preparation to ease what can be a rough Monday morning for some.

Get to bed earlier on Sunday if you want to beat the Monday slog. Photo: Getty

“Monday morning can be hard if you’ve had a lie-in Sunday, a couple of late nights during the weekend and then on Monday morning the alarm goes off at 6am or 7, but your body thinks it’s 5 or 6am,” sleep psychologist and Victoria University Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Dorothy Bruck told The New Daily.

“Having that hour less sleep can certainly make some people more drowsy, lack concentration or a little grumpier.”

The Sleep Health Foundation chair said some are more susceptible to daylight saving than others based on their genetic disposition.

“For some people daylight savings doesn’t have an effect, while for some it make take a few days to readjust,” she said.

To minimize the effects and avoid what some research suggests is a higher incidence of car accidents in the 24-hour period after the clocks change, Professor Bruck shared a few simple tricks with The New Daily.

Go to bed earlier before daylight saving

Professor Bruck said going to bed a little earlier the night before the first Sunday of October, when daylight saving always kicks in, will help the body adjust and minimise drowsiness. If you’re reading this on Sunday morning, it’s too late to put that advice into effect, but it’s worth remembering for next year.

“Perhaps you’ll be able to get a few extra hours sleep on the front-end of your night,” she said.

Skip your Sunday snooze

Professor Bruck told The New Daily it’s not a good idea to have a Sunday nap after daylight saving begins, as this will “make it harder to go to bed earlier, so avoid the Sunday nap, especially the long Sunday nap.”

Let the sunshine in

On Monday morning when your body still thinks it’s an hour earlier than your alarm clock, Professor Bruck recommends allowing some sunshine into your bedroom.

“What you want to do on Monday is get as much morning light into your eyes as possible,” she said.

“It sounds cruel, but open the curtains whenever it’s time to get up and get the daylight into your eyes.”

That daylight will suppress the hormone melatonin, Professor Bruck explained, which makes us sleepy. It will also speed up the adjustment to the new daylight saving time.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol

Alcohol and sleep have a problematic relationship for although a few drinks will make you sleepy, many think this helps us to sleep better.

“One drink is not a big problem, but a substantial alcohol intake will fragment sleep in the second half of the night,” Professor Bruck warned.

The sleep psychologist also urged against caffeinated drinks for the whole afternoon before daylight saving.

Enjoy your nighttime routine

Professor Bruck recommended winding down earlier and getting into a bedtime routine, such as an evening bath or shower, getting into comfortable pyjamas and avoiding TV and computer screens for an hour or two before hitting the sack.