This year, the switch to standard time won’t just be its traditional “fall back” moment: it will occur a bit earlier than usual. In the night from Saturday, October 25 to Sunday, October 26, 2025, at 3:00 a.m.… we will set our clocks back one hour to make it 2:00 a.m.
This change is simply explained by the calendar: in 2025, the last Sunday of October falls earlier in the month, and thus the date of the time change is affected. If this shift might seem trivial, it isn’t for our daily life: evenings darken earlier, waking hours occur in the gloom, and our biological clock must recalibrate… The body has to reset its cues. And for many, this “small” adjustment isn’t entirely gentle.
Why this “early” change?
The mechanism behind the time change is fixed: we turn back the clock on the night from the last Saturday to Sunday in October. In fact, everything has been set by European directive since 1998. The basic idea? Synchronize the dates across all member states to avoid chaos in transportation, communications, etc.
But what shifts every year is the calendar itself—the day of the last Sunday of the month. In 2025, that last Sunday falls earlier than in some previous years, which “brings forward” the moment of the switch. So no upheaval, just a canonical alignment with the usual rules. In 2026, we’ll switch again, but possibly on a date a little different depending on the calendar.
This phenomenon explains why some people feel a “weird effect”: it seems like winter is arriving earlier this year. In reality, we’re simply following the standard rules, but October’s calendar makes it happen sooner.
The impact on our daily life (and how to prepare for it)
When we move back one hour, we gain an extra hour of sleep on the night of the change, and that’s a welcome boon for anyone who enjoys lingering in bed on Sunday morning. The downside is that evenings darken more quickly. By late afternoon, it will be night sooner than before.
In terms of body and mood, adaptation can take a few days. Our internal clock needs to recalibrate. This can cause fatigue, sleep that isn’t as restful, or even a dip in energy or a touch of melancholy for some people. To ease the impact, you can ease into the transition a few days ahead… a small adjustment that can help.
Ultimately, daylight saving time arrives earlier this year not due to a legislative upheaval but simply because the calendar allows it. The last Sunday of October falls earlier this year. We’re not changing the rule, but its application is ahead in 2025. That alone shifts our reference points and makes the period a touch rougher on our internal clock.
But it’s far from insurmountable: by anticipating a few days before the change, by leveraging natural light, and by tweaking our sleep schedules and social activities… you’ll get through this transition with minimal disruption!
Karla Miller RADIO
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