The transition from winter time to summer time 2023 will take place on the night of Saturday March 25 to Sunday March 26, 2023. At 2 a.m. on March 26, the clock will be advanced by one hour until 3 a.m. This means you sleep an hour less.
Are the clocks forward or backward? There are several mnemonic techniques that aim to better memorize the movement of the hands: in summer, garden furniture is placed in front of the house on the terrace, so you have to move the clock forward. In winter, on the other hand, the garden furniture is taken to the basement or the shed, and the clock must also be set back.
Or: in summer the temperature rises – so we advance the clock one hour (+1); in winter, the temperature drops – so we set the clock back one hour (-1). In English, it’s “spring forward, fallout” – “spring forward, autumn backward.”
Most times are translated automatically
DST is generally not an issue; clocks and radio-controlled televisions do this automatically. In Germany, the time is set by the atomic clock of the Physicotechnical Bundesanstalt in Braunschweig. The signals are transmitted by devices that automatically adjust radio-controlled clocks to change the time. At the same time, owners of analog watches will have to translate the hands themselves.
Things to consider when using a smartphone
For smartphones, switching takes place without additional intervention, unless the corresponding function is deactivated. You can check it yourself.
iPhone: Go to Settings, General, then select Date & time, turn on Install automatically.
Android: Open “Settings”, select “Date and time”, enable “Auto. date Time”.
Windows Phone: open “Settings”, select “Date and time”, then “Time”, activate “Automatic time change”.
Were there any discussions about canceling the time change?
According to the wishes of the European Parliament, the last time the clocks were to be changed was in March 2021. However, so far EU member states have not agreed on a common approach . Apparently, the necessary vote will not take place for a long time. According to the European Commission, “the ball is in the hands of the member states”, but 27 countries are arguing over exactly how the cancellation of the clock change should be implemented. During the debate, it turned out, for example, that Portugal is fundamentally opposed to this decision.
Experts oppose daylight saving time
The German Society for Sleep Research and Medicine advocates maintaining standard “winter” time. Daylight, and in particular the blue component of sunlight, is the “Hauptzeitgeber” of the human internal clock and is crucial for the rhythm of wakefulness and sleep. According to experts, winter is the best time to deal with it.
On the other hand, daylight saving time threatens to cause a lack of sleep, leading to loss of concentration and performance, as well as an increase in the number of accidents. The Association of German Teachers is also concerned about the health risks for pupils in the event of permanent summer time.
Time change – why does it exist?
In fact, it’s done to save energy…
Since 1996, clocks in the European Union have been reset in March and October. In Germany, daylight saving time has been in place since 1980, initially to save energy by making better use of daylight hours.
In fact, there is no evidence that DST saves energy. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency, for example, states: “Although the change to daylight saving time means that the lights are turned on less often in the summer, the heating is used more in the morning in the spring and in autumn. It cancels out.”
The Technology Assessment Office of the German Bundestag concludes that “at best, only very modest energy savings can be achieved”. An assessment of studies conducted in different countries in 2016 showed possible changes in the field of electricity consumption and space heating of no more than one percent.
A survey of around 700 German energy industry companies and associations yielded no further results.
In addition, many people complain of sleep problems, especially immediately after a time change.
