Every fall, the time change brings with it the welcome of winter time. In Spain, this second time change in 2023 will occur in the early hours of Saturday, October 28 to Sunday, October 29. At that time, the clocks must be turned back one hour, going from 3:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. This means that Spaniards will enjoy an extra hour of sleep that night.
This time change aims to make better use of the hours of natural light during the winter, which theoretically leads to energy savings and aligns working hours with other European countries. Winter time will remain until the last Sunday of March 2024, when the time change will occur again.
Despite recurring debates about the usefulness of these time changes, Spain continues to make them, following a directive from the Council of the European Community that establishes time changes throughout Europe every March and October. In fact, the Official State Gazette (BOE) 2022-2026 contemplates three time changes for the next three years.
The history of time changes dates back to World War I, when countries such as Germany, Great Britain and the United States introduced daylight saving time to conserve energy. Although the theory behind these time changes is that they allow more sunlight to be used during the summer afternoon, studies suggest that the resulting energy savings are relatively low, with an average of 0.34%.
Regarding health, some sleep experts have argued that the time change can have a negative impact. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) notes that disrupting sleep schedules can harm cardiovascular health, increase medication errors, and have negative effects on mental health and traffic safety. Additionally, it takes several days for bodies to adapt to an altered sleep schedule, which can negatively affect people.
At the international level, the European Commission had planned to end time changes in 2021, but due to the lack of consensus among the member countries of the European Union, this decision has been delayed. Despite the potential advantages of ending these time changes, the lack of agreement in the EU has led to them being maintained for the time being.
In the United States, on the other hand, the Senate recently approved the elimination of time changes, opting to maintain daylight saving time permanently starting in November 2023, a measure aimed at enjoying brighter afternoons. The law, called the Sunshine Protection Act, still must be ratified by the House of Representatives and the president.
While the controversy over time changes continues, Spain and other countries in Europe will continue to set their clocks forward and back twice a year as scheduled by European directives, at least for the next few years.
