In the early hours of Saturday March 28 to Sunday 29, clocks in Spain will advance one hour to begin summer time. On the mainland, 2:00 becomes 3:00, and in the Canary Islands, 1:00 becomes 2:00. The practice continues after 52 years amid debates on its health effects.
The time change will take effect overnight on Saturday, shortening sleep, work, or leisure by one hour. A 2023 Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) survey shows 66% of Spaniards prefer summer time over winter, though 67% want to end biannual shifts.
Experts from the Sociedad Española del Sueño (SES) and Asociación Española de Pediatría (AEP) advocate for permanent winter time. "It promotes a more stable biological rhythm than summer time, improves intellectual performance, and helps reduce cardiovascular diseases, obesity, insomnia, and depression," states the SES. María José Martínez Madrid, SES Chronobiology coordinator, notes that "light is the main synchronizer of our biological clock." She warns that delayed natural darkness causes hormonal shifts, hitting children and older adults hardest, with adjustments taking up to five days.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez proposed to the European Council last year ending changes from 2026, saying it "barely saves energy and negatively impacts health and people's lives." The plan stalled without consensus, requiring 15 countries representing 65% of the population to repeal the current directive.
Spain has observed the biannual shift since 1974, stemming from the 1970s oil crisis to save energy. The central European time zone creates solar mismatches, as Jaume Vallès highlighted in a letter to EL PAÍS. Clocks will fall back on October 25, with schedules set until 2031.
