Winter time: Netherlands to set clocks back tonight

Netherlands residents will set their clocks to winter time on Sunday by moving the clock back one hour. At 3 a.m. on Sunday, the clock is set back to 2 a.m., which ends daylight saving time and starts winter time.

This means that Sunday night is one hour longer, resulting in it getting light earlier in the morning and dark earlier in the afternoon. Overall, winter time is standard time. Daylight saving time will be reintroduced on March 31, 2024. It was once introduced to better match the daylight hours in the summer months to the times when people are awake. The idea is that if it is light longer in the evening, energy will be saved.

The switch from summer to winter time has long been debated. It is doubted that the measure will actually save energy. Moreover, the switch could disrupt people's biological clocks. In 2018, the European Commission proposed abolishing mandatory summer and winter time, but Brussels postponed a decision on the matter.

Parents in particular may be concerned that the clock is being turned back, as it is more difficult for children to automatically adjust their biological clock according to the times. Therefore, it can happen that the child wakes up an hour earlier and appears at the parents' bedside at around five in the morning, RTL Nieuws reports.

According to neurologist Roselyne Rijsman of the Haaglanden Medical Center, it takes a few days for children to get used to the new day and night rhythm.

The rhythm acclimation phase also involves adjusting certain daily routines, such as mealtimes and bedtimes. "For example, if your child gets hungry at a quarter past five in the afternoon, you should not eat immediately. It's wiser to wait an hour," Rijsman tells the news broadcast.

But in general, this time change is to breathe a sigh of relief, because the changeover to winter time is actually easier than to summer time, according to RTL Nieuws. This is because the rhythm of most people is slightly longer than 24 hours, but is "squeezed" into 24 hours by eating habits, among other things, the neurologist explains.