Overview
- The clocks in Germany and most of continental Europe will be set back from 03:00 to 02:00 in the night between 24 and 25 October 2026, giving people one extra hour of sleep.
- Many modern devices will update their clocks automatically so most smartphones and radio-controlled watches will switch without user action.
- Health insurers and sleep experts advise gradual pre-adjustments of bed and wake times of about 10–15 minutes per day and recommend morning daylight and outdoor activity to ease the short-term sleep disruption.
- The twice-yearly change persists because EU member states failed to agree after a 2018 public consultation on whether to adopt permanent summer or winter time, a divide shaped by east–west differences in sunrise and sunset times.
- Countries such as Iceland, Russia and Belarus already do not change clocks, and the time shift can affect travel timetables and night services, so passengers and operators should check schedules for the fall transition.