The time change in Spain takes place every year in autumn and spring, at the end of October and at the end of March. Here you will find detailed information on when the time changes in 2025, until when there will be daylight saving time and everything you can do to ensure that it affects your well-being as little as possible.
When is the March time change
The time change in 2025 occurs in the early hours of Saturday, March 29 to Sunday, March 30 and will serve to welcome daylight saving time. At 2:00 a.m. it will be 3:00 a.m., so this time it’s time to set the clock forward. Yes, we will sleep an hour less, or if we sleep the same, the day will be shorter later.
This time change that applies throughout the European Union continues sparking controversy for its supposed reasons of sustainability and energy savings that are increasingly being questioned. The reality is that setting the clock forward in this case, or setting it back when we make the change in the fall, It has certain repercussions on our biological rhythmsthat is, in our health.
Why is the time changed when spring arrives?
The time change that takes place in March gives the entrance to the summer time even if it is done in spring. The idea is take advantage of more daylight hours and «lengthen» the days. wanted adjust the work day to the hours of sunlight and promote a energy saving both in the public and private spheres.
The truth is that since December 22 and 23, when we have had the days with the least sunlight of the entire yearthe hours of sunshine are gaining minutes per day and we arrive at the March time change with the day already longer than in the month of January. Thus, we will reach the summer solstice, the June 20what is the day with the most hours of light.
Why is the time changed when autumn arrives?
The time change that occurs in October is known as «winter time». As there are fewer hours of sunlight, efforts are made to make better use of natural light during the day and reduce electrical energy consumption for lighting.
Winter time consists of turning the clock back one hour with the arrival of autumn. By turning the clock back, natural light is available for longer in the morning and reduces the need to turn on artificial lights in homes and businesses.
When will the last time change be in Spain?
Five years ago, the European Parliament approved the end of the two annual time changes and that it was up to each member state to decide which one to keep. Experts say that in Spain it would be best to stick with winter time since it has enough hours of sunlight naturally, but the lack of consensus has meant that this measure is not yet a firm decision.
The date of the last time change in Spain is not known, but at least it will be maintained until 2026, as published in the BOE on March 11, 2022.. This document also establishes the dates of the time changes in Spain:
Time change in summer in Spain until 2026
- 2025: Sunday, March 30.
- 2026: Sunday, March 29.
Time change in winter in Spain until 2026
- 2025: Sunday, October 26.
- 2026: Sunday, October 25.
How much do you save with the time change?
There is no realistic calculation in Spain of how much is saved with daylight saving time. There is only a mere estimate from the IDAE (Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving), according to which, energy savings could represent 5% of electricity consumption in lighting, equivalent to about 300 million euros (90 million in households and 210 million in industry and services). But this estimate was made more than 10 years ago.
A study carried out by the European Commission reaches much more modest conclusions. He determined that Daylight saving time could save up to 0.5% of annual energy consumption in the European Unionabout €6 per person per year, although the figures may vary depending on the country and region since the savings also depend greatly on the climate of each area.
How does the time change affect you?
The change to summer time is usually somewhat less tolerated than autumn time due to the fact that By moving the clock forward you lose an hour of the day. This basically affects sleep and appetite, especially in people who follow very specific routines, who always get up at the same time and follow certain meal times. Let the night get later and later can alter the natural biological rhythm.
The fall time change, on the other hand, is better tolerated than spring because the tendency of the biological clock usually delays about 30 minutes each day. Besides, let it be done at night before It promotes falling asleep and getting a good night’s sleep, since darkness is a precursor to the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone.
Despite this, researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, who analyzed the impact of the time change established by the government on the change of seasons, came to the conclusion that some people, especially those that have a structure that is not very flexible biologically and psycho-emotionally or if they are subject to carrying out activities on rigid schedules, They may experience different symptoms associated with the process of adapting to the new schedule.
Why does the time change affect you?
Our circadian clock It expresses all the sensations that our body receives when traveling at an incredible speed (1,600 km/h) with the rotation of the earth, which we barely perceive consciously, but which is there, as a great reality.
For physiological adaptation to these speeds a large number of neurotransmitters are involved and hormones that will synchronize and regulate each other to rhythmically maintain sleep/wake activities (when there is more light, increased energy for movement, eating, assimilation and digestion; and when there is less light for decreased energy, rest and regeneration).
But What happens when we cause this clock to advance and delay one hour due to the changes to summer and winter time? How do we adapt?
Our biological clock normally activates with daylightand allows us to relax and sleep during the night. When this clock is disrupted due to changes in work shifts, long trips or changes in schedules, the ability to adapt to it depends on each person’s genetics. We have inherited characteristics for generations that have allowed us to adapt to changes. We have also known how to adapt to customs.
Throughout the day and night our body experiences temperature changesin the secretions of neurotransmitters and hormones, in digestive juices… all these changes are different in each person. They also change throughout life: they are not the same in childhood, maturity or old age.
Take advantage of the holidays to adjust your rhythm
Our ancestors who lived without artificial lighting worked during daylight hours, gathered for a few hours around the fire at dusk, and slept at night. Nowadays, with electric lighting, televisions, laptops and smartphones, the distinction between night and day has become more blurred, so much so that can alter your biological clock. But you can fix it.
It has been seen that by enjoying just a couple of days full of natural light with its dark nights, our circadian rhythm adjusts and helps us fall asleep. Something as simple as spend a couple of days camping outdoors It can help us by regulating our internal clock.
During the week, ensure good natural light during the day, avoid background lighting from phones and laptops as much as possible, and sleep in total darkness at night. So you can improve your sleep and physical performance diary.
Avoid naps during the day
Sleeping and waking go together. The vigil It is offered to us as a therapeutic tool to adapt our schedules and recover sleep.
The vigil not only promotes deeper sleepbut enriches our experience in some way: helps to understand the night, serves to train oneself to survive in dangerous or adverse situations, modifies consciousness, helps to value the silence of the night, to know the world of light and shadow, to know that there is life in the night and in the day.
But In this society where sleep is not respected, it is very difficult for people to stay awake during the day. Thus a society of lazy people has been formed who spend part of the day sleepy and functioning like automatons.
There are also people who, because they do not make sleep vital and necessary, doze during the day and then suffer from insomnia at night. They abuse sleep and to enjoy it more later they swell take sleeping pills.
At the same time, Environmental conditions, and specifically artificial lights, are altering our circadian rhythm. To avoid this, it is necessary, once again, to sleep well at night and stay awake during the day.
Rest to adapt to the winter time change
Rest is implicit in our life as a counterpoint and balance of activity, which occurs rhythmically, with specific sinusoidal curves of activity and rest.
Every certain period of time we have rising and falling skies; This is how it happens throughout the day, the week, the month, the year and throughout life, especially in the cycle of the year and in the latitude where we live, changes in light are key points for activity and rest. We must point out that Rest is as important as exercise for health, But both one and the other must be done in their time, because, as Ecclesiastes says: «there is a time and a rhythm for everything.» To adapt your body to the new schedule.
Winter is par excellence a time of rest in nature, and with its signals it gives us that zero point from which to start getting the body ready to start again. Even the calendar takes its starting point from zero to give way to a new year, which in nature is marked by the winter solstice. The decrease in daylight hours increases the need for rest, especially at night, which means fewer hours of sleep. Although you have to understand that everything is relative and personal; Thus, the hours of sleep necessary for a person are those with which they feel rested, and vary from 4 to 12 hours. It is not enough to say, therefore, that everyone should sleep 8 hours, but rather that everyone should sleep what they need. What you need to rest.
Asana to rest
There is an asana or yoga posture that It is advisable to practice in winter, as it promotes rest. It is done kneeling, with the knees slightly apart and sitting on the heels. You have to hold your right wrist with your left hand and slowly lean forward, making sure that your buttocks do not leave the ground or your heels.
- In this position, you have to breathe slowly and deeply, effortlessly, directing attention to the eyebrows. The neck and shoulders should be…