This year, the switch to winter time will take place this weekend, in the night from Saturday 25 to Sunday 26 October. Specialized doctors in Corsica say that it may take several days to adapt. But there are solutions to better handle the time change.
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A forced march around the clock.
The switch to winter time will take place from Saturday 25 to Sunday 26 October 2025. At 3 a.m., it will be 2 a.m.
In Place Saint-Nicolas in Bastia, residents are preparing to adjust the hands of their watches or clocks. «It’s going to change for the kids, it’s going to be dark earlier I think, it confuses me», says a mother.
Another resident thinks that it’s «just an hour. It’s fine, we’ll get over it».
According to specialists, this change can temporarily disrupt the biological clock. Fatigue, sleep disturbances, or mood swings can occur in the first few days.
Gwenaël Alfonsi is a doctor in Bastia. According to him, the «effects are real. There are two at-risk populations: children and adults with heavy and long sleep». He adds: «The body is controlled by the brain and hormone secretions. To regulate cortisol, the wake-up hormone that puts you in top form in the morning, it takes at least three weeks».
A sleep debt «with a general impact on the body» as also explained by the doctor Marie Nocera:
@france3corse.viastella How to live the time change without disturbing your sleep?🕰️ The switch to winter time will take place from Saturday 25 to Sunday 26 October. This change can disrupt our rhythm and the quality of our sleep. 🩺 We met Marie Nocera, a doctor and sleep specialist, to better understand its effects. She also shared with us the right reflexes to adopt in order to better handle this change. 💤 #sleep #timechange #healthtips ♬ original sound – France 3 Corse ViaStella
To adapt more easily, authorities remind people of the good habits to adopt:
- advance your bedtime by 15 minutes each day before the switch to summer time
- avoid screens before sleeping (blue light disrupts sleep)
- maintain a stable routine, fixed schedules for meals and bedtime
- expose yourself to natural light, especially in the morning.
As a reminder, the time change was introduced in France in 1976, «mainly to save energy by reducing the need for artificial lighting. Winter time is considered normal time, with summer time shifting it during the sunniest months», according to the government’s website.
In March 2019, MEPs voted for its abolition, allowing each member state to choose a fixed time. The project is currently blocked in the EU Council since December 2019.
Pour s’adapter plus facilement, les autorités rappellent les bons gestes à adopter :
- avancez votre heure de coucher de 15 minutes chaque jour avant le passage à l’heure d’été
- évitez les écrans avant de dormir (la lumière bleue perturbe le sommeil)
- gardez une routine stable, des horaires fixes pour les repas et le coucher
- exposez-vous à la lumière naturelle, surtout le matin.
Pour rappel, le changement d’heure a été instauré en France en 1976, «principalement pour faire des économies d’énergie en réduisant les besoins d’éclairage artificiel. L’heure d’hiver est considérée comme l’heure normale, l’heure d’été venant la décaler pendant les mois les plus ensoleillés», d’après le site du gouvernement.
En mars 2019, les eurodéputés avaient voté pour sa suppression, permettant à chaque état membre de choisir une heure fixe. Le projet est aujourd’hui bloqué au conseil de l’UE depuis décembre 2019.
La transition vers l’heure d’hiver peut être un défi pour de nombreuses personnes, mais en adoptant certaines pratiques, il est possible de mieux s’adapter à ce changement et de préserver la qualité de son sommeil. Assurez-vous de suivre ces recommandations pour une transition en douceur vers l’heure d’hiver.
We met with Marie Nocera, a doctor and sleep specialist, to better understand its effects. She also shared with us some good habits to adopt in order to better cope with this change.
To adapt more easily, authorities remind us to follow these good practices:
– Advance your bedtime by 15 minutes each day before the switch to daylight saving time
– Avoid screens before bedtime (blue light disrupts sleep)
– Maintain a stable routine, with fixed meal and bedtime schedules
– Expose yourself to natural light, especially in the morning.
It is worth noting that daylight saving time was introduced in France in 1976, «mainly to save energy by reducing the need for artificial lighting. Winter time is considered normal time, with summer time shifting it during the sunniest months,» according to the government website.
In March 2019, Members of the European Parliament voted to abolish daylight saving time, allowing each member state to choose a fixed time. The project is currently blocked at the EU Council since December 2019.
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