The clocks will go back an hour tonight. That means an extra hour of sleep, but for many people it also means unrest in their sleep rhythm. We often talk about those negative sides, but why do we actually make a distinction between summer and winter time and what exactly are the advantages?
Winter time is the ‘original’ time. Throughout the 20th century, summer time was introduced several times throughout Europe, but it was definitively introduced in 1977. This was because there was such a huge oil crisis at the time that people wanted to do everything they could to save as much energy as possible.
Summer time means that we can use the natural light outside for an hour longer. If we were to leave the clock at the original (winter) time, it would already get light at 4:30 in the morning in the summer. Most people are not awake yet, so it makes sense to change the clock an hour. This way there will be light for an hour longer in the evening, when many people are awake.
Benefits of winter time
According to the RIVM, winter time also has some other advantages. International literature research has shown that an early sunrise is much better suited to human biorhythms. The RIVM therefore advocates introducing winter time as standard.
According to the national institute, many people suffer from time change. Especially after the start of summer time, people sleep poorly because they have one hour less. According to the institute, more heart attacks occur immediately after the change to summer time.
According to the RIVM, setting summer time as standard time would have negative effects on public health.
European Commission makes choice
The European Commission stated in 2018 that they actually want European countries to make a choice between summer time or winter time instead of changing the clock. The European Parliament also spoke in favor of this. Polls also showed that many European citizens were tired of changing the clock.
If the Netherlands chose to always observe summer time, it would only become light outside at 9:45 am on the shortest day of the year. If you choose to keep winter time, it will get dark at 9 p.m. on the longest summer day of the year.
It is still very unclear whether the Netherlands will ultimately go along with this. The government made it clear at the time that they thought it was important to first see what time division the neighboring countries would adhere to. In this way, the connection with our immediate neighbors would be maintained.