On the night of October 30, 2022, the clocks in Germany will be turned back to winter time. But what does that mean exactly: is the clock set forward or backward?
Berlin – It’s been the same game every year for 40 years now. As at the beginning of summer time, the clocks are changed all over Germany in autumn to winter time. And like every year, many are also asking themselves about the time change in October 2022: will the clock actually be put forward or backward? Because the question about the time change in October 2022 – i.e. when the clock will be changed to winter time – may have been answered. But in which direction the clock has to be turned for the time change in 2022 always causes perplexity.
Time change in October 2022: do I have to turn the clock forward or backward?
After the irritation caused by the first time change in 2022 to summer time on March 27, 2022, the same guessing game now follows about how to change the clock at the end of October 2022. It’s actually quite simple: with the time change in 2022 from summer time to winter time, which is now seven months later follows, the night is extended by one hour. This means that it is light earlier in the morning, but it is also dark an hour earlier in the evening. To do this, the clocks are set back to two o’clock when the time changes at three o’clock in the morning.
Time change: When will the clock change in 2022?
In the night from Saturday, October 29 to Sunday, October 30, 2022, the clocks in Germany will be changed back to winter time. The clock is turned back from three o’clock to two o’clock. This ends summer time and winter time begins. In March 2023, the clock will be put forward again by one hour.
Time change in Germany: Forwards or backwards – in which direction the hands of the clock are turned when changing over to winter time
But when exactly will the time change take place in October 2022: When will we switch from summer to winter time? Since 1996, the rule has been that daylight saving time ends on the last Sunday in October and that is when the clock is changed. This year it is on October 30th – so the time change in 2022 can hardly take place later in the year than it is this time.
Set the clocks forward or back in October 2022: mnemonic for the time change
For those who absolutely cannot remember whether the clock needs to be set forward or backward, there are helpful mnemonics:
- – Every spring, the garden furniture is advanced in the first rays of the sun. As part of the changeover to daylight saving time, the clock is also put forward .
- – In autumn everything goes backwards: Just like the outdoor furniture , the clocks are turned back at the beginning of winter .
- – In summer, the thermometer usually shows plus degrees (one hour more) , in winter, on the other hand, minus degrees (one hour less) .
- – In general , the clock is always set in the direction of summer : forward in spring, backward in autumn.
- – Even spring fatigue is good as a mnemonic: If the clock is put forward in spring, one hour of sleep is missing .
- – An English season wisdom can help: “Spring forward, fall back” . Translated into German, this means something like: hop forward, fall back. But “spring” and “fall” can also be translated as spring and autumn.
Time change 2022 in winter: Winter time starts on October 30 at 3 a.m
On October 30, 2022, with the 2022 time change, we will actually simply switch back to our “real” zone time, the so-called Central European Time, or CET for short. In addition to winter time, it is also called standard or normal time. On the other hand, Central European Summer Time, which is one hour ahead of it, is abbreviated to CEST.
Winter time and summer time – what does that mean exactly?
When it comes to time change, the talk is usually about switching to winter time or summer time. The official term “winter time” does not even exist. There is only one normal time – and strictly speaking, our summer time is “only” a deviation from this actual time in the corresponding time zone.
Abolition of the time change: In which countries does daylight saving time and time change no longer exist?
- Egypt
- Argentina
- Belarus
- Brazil
- China
- India
- Iceland
- Japan
- Namibia
- Russia
- South Africa
- Turkey
Abolition of time change in Germany and the EU: Parliament for the end of summer time – 2023 still time change again?
The majority of all people in Germany reject the summer time rule, including the annual time change in spring and winter, as studies show again and again. In fact, even the EU Commission presented plans to finally abolish the time change in 2018. In March 2019, the EU Parliament voted to abolish the time change from 2021. But obviously nothing has happened so far. The abolition of the time change and the question of when turning the clock will end remains open. That means: the time change in 2023 will still happen. And with her twice a year the question: Do I have to turn the clock forward or backward?
Time change: the most important information
On March 27, 2022, clocks were advanced from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. to herald the beginning of Daylight Saving Time.
On October 30, 2022, at 3 a.m., clocks will be “stopped” and turned back by one hour. Winter time begins.
73 percent of the German population are against this time change.
Around a third of all Germans complain about problems caused by the time change. According to a survey, the risk of a heart attack even increases when the time changes.
The current summer time regulation was introduced in Germany in 1980 in both German states.
The time change was originally intended to save energy, but according to the Federal Environment Agency, energy consumption has increased since it was introduced.
The first time change in Germany was on May 1, 1916 at 11 a.m
The first time change worldwide took place in Ontario, Canada, in 1908.
Health consequences of daylight saving time: Does the time change make you sick?
The meaning of summer time, the result of the time change, is discussed again and again. Almost every third person has problems after the time change. Doctors have been able to prove that the time change can have negative effects on our body’s circadian rhythm. As a representative Forsa survey by the DAK shows, only 23 percent think a time change makes sense. 27 percent of the participants in the survey identified health problems after the time change.
After all, two-thirds of those surveyed complained of problems falling asleep and sleep disorders. 16 percent stated that the time change would have caused them depression. Overall, women are more often affected by complaints, 34 percent of them complained about symptoms, for men it was around 21 percent.
