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Clocks back to winter time: everything about the time change!
On October 26th, 2025, summer time was changed to winter time in Germany. Find out more about the smooth process and health effects.
Clocks back to winter time: everything about the time change!
On Sunday, October 26, 2025, it was that time again: the clocks in Germany and practically all European countries were set back to 2:00 a.m. at 3:00 a.m. This means that summer time is history, and the warm days are now giving way to the new winter time, which will apply until March 29, 2026. Dirk Piester, head of the time transfer working group at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Braunschweig, confirmed that the changeover went smoothly. Thanks to the long-wave transmitter “DCF77” in Mainflingen near Frankfurt/Main, which transmits the legal time, the time change remained unproblematic. This is reported by az-online.de.
The time change has a long history in Germany. It was introduced in 1980 to make better use of daylight. But not everyone is enthusiastic about this tradition. Critics question the energy-saving effect of the time change and point to its negative effects on the biorhythm. Spain plans to campaign for the abolition of this regulation within the EU. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has made a clear statement and stated that he no longer sees any point in the time change. However, a uniform solution for all EU countries remains in the stars.
Focus on health effects
But what does the time change actually mean for our health? According to various studies, the switch to winter usually has little impact on well-being. In contrast, switching to daylight saving time often results in sleep loss and related health problems. The NDR reports on the body's sensitive reactions to the summer time change, which can result in sleep disorders, cardiovascular diseases and even migraines.
A DAK survey from March 2024 shows that 30% of Germans complain about complaints after the time change. Women and people between the ages of 45 and 59 are particularly often affected. In addition, a study by the Kiel Pain Clinic this year found that more migraine attacks occurred in the week after the daylight saving time change, especially on Mondays. Previous studies have shown that the risk of heart attacks also increases, which found an increase of up to 24% on the Monday after daylight saving time. The scientists therefore advocate maintaining winter time permanently in order to reduce health risks. In this context, NDR also pointed out the importance of the circadian rhythm, which controls many important body functions.
An exciting finding is that around 10% of genes depend on the time of day, which illustrates how strongly our internal clock influences well-being. The scientists recommend taking social demands into account, as these often lead to “social jet lag,” which can lead to health problems.
So what happens next? While Germany continues to stick to the time change, it remains to be seen whether changes will take place in the EU. The dialogue about the advantages and disadvantages of the time change definitely continues - both at the political level and in the everyday lives of citizens.