Summer is fast approaching. Temperatures are rising little by little and the first buds are starting to appear. It is the sign of the arrival of spring and sunny days. But this period is also that of the time change, this stage which comes back twice a year and which always causes a lot of ink to flow in France. Since 2018, the European Union has been considering stopping the time change, but the file has been but sidelined during the health crisis linked to the Covid-19 epidemic and it has not yet returned to the top of the pile. .
Summer time offers more minutes of sunshine to the French, but it also has its detractors, who denounce harmful effects on the economy or even on health. This is particularly the case of the Citizens’ Association for Equitable and Sustainable Time and for the End of Double Daylight Saving Time (ACHED), which reminded Planet that “France’s standard time is UTC 0 ( GMT 0), the same as that of London / Greenwich”, before concluding: “The time in France is at all times advanced, shifted: in UTC 1 in winter, it is 1 hour, UTC 2 from the end of March , it’s 2 hours, until reverting to UTC 1 at the end of October”.
On the contrary, others wish to keep daylight saving time: this is particularly the case of the European Association for Summer Time, which believes that it is more suited to our pace of life, which s shifted towards evening. Questioned in 2018 by La Dépêche, the president of the association Olivier Fabre explained: “Winter time would have dramatic consequences on the one hand on the tourist economy and on the other hand on road safety. We could greatly benefit from more light in the evening”.
For or against the time change it doesn’t matter now, since it will take place this month of March 2023 and it is always the source of the same debate between colleagues or friends: “Do we sleep more or do we ‘we sleep less? For the transition to summer time, the answer is actually simpler than it seems. Indeed, during the night, the clock advances, which means that when the hand of your clock indicates 2 am, it will actually be 3 am. The French will therefore lose an hour of sleep, which can be a source of additional fatigue and complications for Sunday workers, parents of young children, but also for those who are at rest.
Conversely, when switching to winter time, we go back an hour, since at 3 a.m. it is again 2 a.m., which saves an extra hour of sleep.
In France, the transition from winter time to summer time always takes place at the same time. This occurs on the night of Saturday to the last Sunday of March. The date is therefore not the same from one year to the next. In 2023, the change will take place on the night of March 25 to 26, so it is better to note this date in your diary so as not to find yourself deprived and lose track of time.
Today, if a large number of electronic devices such as computers, telephones or certain alarm clocks take into account the time change automatically, there are still several devices that you must remember to set manually. This is particularly the case for mechanical clocks, certain watches or even microwaves, which can sometimes be a real headache to solve.
The time change not only affects the time displayed by our microwave oven, but also affects our health. Inserm explains in particular that “scientific literature shows that the time change can induce sleep disorders, vigilance, road accidents, depression, suicide and myocardial infarction”.
According to neurobiologist Joëlle Adrien, interviewed at the microphone of LCI, it sometimes takes up to six days to recover. Disorders are all the more visible in people considered vulnerable, namely the elderly, sick and hospitalized people, as well as children and infants.
