October time change: winter time returns, with one more hour of sleep

BarcelonaEvery year we change the clock twice: in the spring we move it forward and in the autumn we move it back. In theory, the goal is to make economic activity fit with the hours of sunlight and thus save energy. In practice, however, many sectors question this change, arguing that the savings would be non-existent or negligible and, conversely, periodically modifying our biological clock could entail health risks. In any case, this 2026, the second time change will be the night of Saturday, October 24th to Sunday, October 25th, and it will mean we sleep one hour more: when it is 3 AM, the clock must be set back one hour (if it does not do so automatically) so that it returns to 2 AM.

What does this time change imply?

Although autumn officially began on September 23rd, the time change always takes place on the last weekend of October, and jointly in all European countries. From this moment on, the sun will rise and set earlier. This implies that there will be fewer hours of daylight in the afternoon in favor of the mornings, which will be longer.

Adapting to the time change

To better adapt to the time change, experts recommend gradually adjusting sleep schedules in the days leading up to it, exercising regularly, and getting exposure to natural light during the day. Likewise, it is advisable to avoid consuming caffeine and alcohol, and exposure to screens before going to sleep.

The time change, an obsolete rule?

For years it has been studied whether it is convenient to change the time or keep always the same. The debate, in fact, reached the European institutions, which held a consultation in which 84% of citizens voted in favor of eliminating the time change. However, due to discrepancies between member states, in 2019 the European Parliament postponed the decision, and in the middle of 2026 nothing has been decided yet. What is delaying the elimination of the time change? Since the announcement of the modification, the measure has had great defenders, but also many detractors.

In 2019, each of the countries of the European Union created its own technical commission with the goal of deciding the position they should take. Everything that had been advanced, however, became a dead letter in 2020, coinciding with the pandemic. Since then, the project has remained kept in a drawer.

Proposals for time reform

In Catalonia, the time reform project, which was intended to allow for advancing, compacting, and regularizing schedules to favor rest and work-life balance, became stalled during the pandemic. The advisory council for this initiative advocated for maintaining winter time to avoid starting work activities in the dark, which hinders the synchronization of the circadian clock.

In 2022, at a conference held in Barcelona, a group of experts presented a proposal to eliminate time changes throughout European territory. After preparing a report, the professionals determined that the best solution was to maintain winter time throughout the year. Furthermore, they determined that western countries—among which are Spain and France—should permanently set the clock back and start sharing a time zone with the United Kingdom and Portugal.

On the other hand, the Spanish government created a group of experts to determine the pros and cons of maintaining or changing the schedule. The conclusions, however, were not unanimous: some considered that time changes should be maintained, others opted for establishing winter time as permanent, and finally, a group believed that summer time should be adopted, citing the negative impact that winter time would have on tourism.