Change of summer time 2023: date France, which weekend?

At the end of March 2023, it will be the time change and we will go to summer time ! This aims to gain an hour of natural sunshine to avoid turning on the light and thus save energy. The time change is officially regulated and is subject toan official directive from the European Parliament. This measure was introduced in France following the oil crisis of 1973-1974 and harmonized within the EU since 1998. Worldwide, a sixty countries apply seasonal schedule changes. Of the countries have abandoned it as the Tunisia, Egypt, Russia, Ukraine, Iceland, Armenia… This measure, very disputed, was to end in France but it still continues to apply. Daylight saving time change date and how prepare for it to avoid fatigue with Dr. Catherine Lamblin, sleep physician.

Date: when will we switch to summer time in France in 2023?

Daylight saving time takes place on last Sunday in March, so on the night of the 25th to the 26th March 2023, at 2 a.m. (it will be 3 a.m.). What changes:

• The sun sets later
• We lose an hour of sleep, so we sleep an hour less
• Daylight saving time is set to GMT+2

Mnemonic device to know if we go forward or if we go back one hour

This is always the big question! When switching to winter time, we go back an hour. When we switch to summer time, we must advance the hands of our watch by one hour. (one full turn as in the clock image below). Here’s a mnemonic to remember:

>> The transition to winter time takes place in OctoberD, we Dtherefore an hour.

>> The transition to summer time takes place around the month ofAVlaugh, we AVSo let’s go for an hour

It usually takes 3-4 days to fully absorb a time change.

The time change can disrupt biological rhythms. Hence the importance of anticipating it in order to better regulate oneself. “Two to three days before the summer time change, for example, it is advisable to go to bed slightly earlier than usual -about twenty minutes- in order to gradually shift and adapt to the new day/night cycle“, advises Dr. Catherine Lamblin, sleep doctor. Moreover, the day after the time change, “It would be better listen to our body and lie down when we feel tiredeven if it is not always easy with professional or family constraints“, continues our interlocutor. It usually takes 3-4 days to fully cash out a time change. Note that “evening” people will be more annoyed when switching to summer time and will have more difficulty getting up in the morning. On the other hand, the transition to summer time will happen without too much trouble for early goers.

Children are particularly sensitive to changes in sleep patterns. To help him adapt smoothly, try to‘anticipate the time change gradually shifting the key moments of the day such as meals, nap time, bath time, bedtime…

► For summer time: we advance meals and bedtime by a quarter of an hour 4 days before the transition to summer time. For example, the first day, we eat at 12:30 p.m., the second day at 12:15 p.m., the third day at 12 p.m. and the fourth day at 11:45 a.m. We close its shutters well so that the child is not disturbed by the light of day.

► For winter time: we delay meals and bedtime by a quarter of an hour 4 days before the transition to winter time. We do not hesitate to use a dawn simulator to facilitate awakenings.

Since when is there a time change in France?

The time change is a measure that was introduced for the first time in France in 1916, after Germany and the United Kingdom, with the aim of saving energy resources such as coal. It was abandoned from 1945 to 1975, then was put back in place in 1976, after the oil shock of 1973 in the face of soaring oil prices. It was a question of saving the electricity produced at the time mainly by fuel oil, thanks to one hour of natural sunshine more in the evenings. In 1975, President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing decided that watches would be put forward one hour on Greenwich Mean Time in winter and two hours in summer in order to reduce the use of electricity for lighting. . THE decree of September 19, 1975 formalizes the time change in mainland France. Overseas, the time change does not apply except in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. Since 1998THE DST dates have been harmonized within the European Union. In all member countries, the transition to winter time takes place on the last Sunday in October and the transition to summer time on the last Sunday in March.

What are the dates of the next time changes in France?

When will be the last time change in France?

The time change has become common to the majority of Member States of the European Union since 1998 but the system is increasingly criticized. At the request of the European Parliament, the European Commission organized during thesummer 2018, an online consultation. From 4.6 million Europeans who participated, 84% were against the time change. On September 12, 2018, the President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, declared that he wanted the end of the seasonal time change from 2019. In March 2019MEPs voted in favor of abolishing the time change. A few weeks later, they reconsidered their position and had finally decided to postpone this measure so that the Member States of the European Union can have time to decide whether they wish to use summer or winter time, in particular according to their time zones. However, with the Covid-19 crisis, the negotiations between the Parliament and the European Council could not take place and “the end of the time change is not relevant on the agenda of the European Council“, said EU Greens MEP Karima Delli at the HuffPost. The text at the end of the time change is no longer on the agenda and should not be discussed in the near future.

Thanks to Dr. Catherine Lamblin, sleep doctor.