The 2024 winter time change is coming very soon! We even have to think about it this weekend…
The 2024 winter time change, scheduled for the last weekend in October, is fast approaching. This will result in a one hour step back in time and you should not forget to set your alarm clocks, watches, or household appliances which will not do it automatically, unlike your smartphone. If we “gain” an hour of sleep and if winter time is closest to so-called “solar” or “natural” time (France goes from GMT +2 to GMT+1), many specialists agree that this time change in the middle of autumn disrupts our biological rhythm just as much as that of summer.
To avoid too sudden an upheaval, it is advisable to prepare in advance to anticipate and avoid the transition to winter time. By starting now, everything will go much better and the shift will be easier to deal with. Gentle adaptation is particularly recommended by several doctors and “chronobiologists” for young children, the elderly, or those suffering from sleep disorders.
To facilitate the adaptation of our biological clock, it is in fact preferable to adjust our bedtime and wake-up times sufficiently early and gradually. Starting well in advance of the time change date is a first step and it is therefore this weekend that you should think about it. On D-7, in other words the Saturday before the weekend of the time change, we advise you to set your alarm 10 minutes earlier and go to bed the night before accordingly. On Sunday go to 15 minutes, then 25 minutes on Monday, 20-30 minutes earlier through Wednesday, 30-45 minutes on Friday and of course an hour earlier on the Saturday before the time change.
You can do the same for meal times. It is also recommended to limit stimulants in the days preceding this time change in order to optimize your sleep. Coffee, tea, sodas, alcohol should be avoided after 4 p.m., screens at least two hours before bedtime. You should also take advantage of the light while there is still time, go outside as soon as you can and exercise to tire yourself out a little.
For the rest, the rule does not change: the time change takes place every last weekend of October, therefore on the night of October 26 to 27. At 3 a.m., we’ll jump back to 2 o’clock. Advantage for some: this time change falls right in the middle of the All Saints’ Day holidays. But also pay attention to the aftermath! Sunday morning, don’t stay in bed too long, otherwise the shock on Monday will be terrible. Go out and see the light of day. And if you feel tired in the days that follow, you can resort to short naps, as long as they are short (between 10 and 20 minutes) and before 3 p.m.