Overview
- The clocks will move from 03:00 to 02:00 in the night of October 24–25, 2026, extending that night by one hour as Germany returns to standard (winter) time.
- EU efforts to end the twice‑yearly change stalled after a 2018 public consultation and a 2019 European Parliament vote because member states could not agree whether to adopt permanent summer or permanent winter time.
- Medical reporting says the shift disturbs melatonin rhythms and causes a short 'mini‑jetlag' that typically takes about one to seven days to settle, with women and evening‑type sleepers reporting more problems in surveys.
- Experts and journalists advise simple steps to reduce disruption: shift sleep schedules by about 15 minutes per day before the change, get morning daylight, keep regular bedtimes, avoid snoozing, and limit heavy or stimulating evening meals and screens.
- Germany’s legal time is maintained by the Physikalisch‑Technische Bundesanstalt and most devices update automatically, and the practice itself dates back to wartime energy measures and was reintroduced after the 1970s oil crises to try to save energy.