When will the last time change be in Spain and how does this affect our health?

When does the time change in 2023? At dawn from March 25 to 26, the time will have to be changed to welcome summer time 2023. The hands of the clock will have to advance one hour and at 02:00 it will be 03:00.

Can the time change affect our health? Different scientific studies have verified that yes; slowing down or moving forward the clock that governs our lives has a real impact on another clock, the biological one. For those many people wonder when will be the last time change in Spain.

When will be the last time change in Spain?

We still do not know the date of the last time change in Spain. What we do know is until when, at least, the time change will be maintained. As published in the BOE of March 11, 2022, The time change by seasons in Spain will be maintained, at least, until 2026. This document also establishes the dates of the time changes in Spain until 2026:

Time change in summer in Spain: dates until 2026

2023: Sunday, March 26. 2024: Sunday, March 31. 2025: Sunday, March 30. 2026: Sunday, March 29.

Time change in winter in Spain: dates until 2026

2023: Sunday, October 29. 2024: Sunday, October 27. 2025: Sunday, October 26. 2026: Sunday, October 25.

Why does the time change when spring comes?

The time change that occurs in the spring is known as “summer schedule”. This measure tries to make better use of the natural light available during the day and reduce the consumption of electrical energy in lighting.

Daylight saving time consists of advancing the clock one hour with the arrival of spring. Moving the clock forward makes daylight available longer in the afternoon and Reduces the need to switch on artificial lights in homes and businesses.

How much is saved with the time change?

There is no realistic calculation in Spain of how much is saved with summer time. There is only a mere estimate from the IDAE (Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving), according to which, energy savingscould 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 10 years ago

A study carried out by the European Commission reaches much more modest conclusions. determined that summer time could save up to 0.5% of annual energy consumption in the European Unionalthough the figures may vary by country and region.

How does the time change affect health?

The fall time change is better toleratedr than spring because the trend of the biological clock tends to go back about 30 minutes each day. In addition, the fact that it is done at night before favors sleep reconciliation and good 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 who have an inflexible structure in the biological and psycho-emotional or if they are subject to carrying out activities in rigid schedules, They may experience different symptoms associated with the process of adapting to the new schedule.

If the children at home find it difficult to adjust to the new schedule, this guided meditation in the form of a video can help them fall asleep:

Alterations in health due to the time change

These are the symptoms that people may experience when the clock is lost or advanced in the changes of seasons:

DrowsinessIrritabilityDifficulties in attention, concentration and memory.FatigueLow performanceLess productivityGeneral malaise.Changes in mood, depression.Digestive disorders (more gastric juices, increased nighttime appetite).Increased psychosomatic discomfort.

In children, whose biological clock can take two months to regulate according to Mexican researchers, it can also occur nocturnal urinary incontinence due to poor regulation of antidiuretic hormone.

In all groups of people, the disorder is maintained, situations of uncontrolled bulimia by snacking on food at all hours, which will lead to gastrointestinal and metabolic problems, obesity and diabetes, increased depression, stress, chronic fatigue, poor cognitive performance and mood disorders.

The change of schedule can have serious consequences because it can decrease the level of alertness. That is why vehicle manufacturers have developed systems to detect the changing sensitivity of the driver and warn him that he must stop to avoid accidents. A short sleep or nap will improve alertness.

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 movement of the earth’s rotation, which we hardly perceive consciously, but which is there, like 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, assimilating, and digesting; and when there is less light, decreased energy). 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 daylight, and allows us to relax and sleep at 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 the genetics of each one. We have inherited over generations characteristics 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 changes, in 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.

5 tips to avoid suffering the time change

Faced with a time change that is given to us, that we cannot avoid, it is good to consider that it is better to prepare, get on the wave and surf so that it does not drag us down. The following tips can help you surf the time change:

Take short breaks or short naps.take melatonin 1 to 5 milligrams before bed. Or think that your body produces melatonin when you sleep in the dark (avoid any light in the bedroom). In the morning and during the day get plenty of sunlight. You can take a sunbath on the eyelids: face the sun and close your eyes (the application of light 6 hours after the minimum of body temperature advances the body clock; instead, applying light 6 hours before the minimum of temperature delays the clock bodily).Adjust meal times and whenever you can eat in company during the day. You can do without dinner to promote regulation.do exercise in abundant sunlight and rests overnight.

Take advantage of the holidays to adjust your rhythm

Our ancestors, who lived without artificial lighting, worked during daylight hours, gathered around the fire for a few hours at dusk, and slept at night. Today, 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 can help us by regulating our internal clock.

During the week, ensure good natural light during the day, avoid the background lighting of phones and laptops as much as possible and, at night, sleep in total darkness. So can improve your sleep and physical performance diary.

Avoid naps during the day

Sleep and wakefulness go hand in hand. The vigil is given to us as a therapeutic tool to adapt our schedules and recover sleep.

The vigil not only promotes deeper sleepbut somehow enriches our experience: helps to understand the night, helps to train to survive in dangerous or adverse situations, modifies consciousness, helps to appreciate the silence of the night, to know the world of light and shadow, to know that there is life at 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. This is how a society of lazy people has been formed who spend part of the day sleepy and functioning like automatons.

There’s also people who, for not making sleep something 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 to 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.

How to adjust to a new sleep schedule

Among medical and nursing professionals, firefighters and waiters, staying awake is part of the profession: on-call shifts and emergency assistance are carried out at the night vigil.

It is so important to sleep and do it well than to provoke a continuous state of wakefulness has been used as a means of torture, the so-called brainwashing. This practice is incapable of resisting even the most battle-hardened heroes, for After several days without sleep, the personality is completely lost and the will decays.

That’s why, To train yourself to be awake, you have to do it little by little, gradually. You can start with one day a week: go to bed two hours later and get up an hour earlier.

But before practicing vigilance at night, it is necessary to practice sleeping well and maintaining vigilance during the day.: control thinking and stay relaxed without abandon and active without agitation.

However, there is a case in which wakefulness can or should be exercised: insomnia. If you suffer from insomnia, there is no need to fear wakefulness. Provoking it helps over time to attract deep sleep.

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