Israel Switches to Winter Time, Gaining an Hour of Sleep
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Israel is reverting to standard winter time early Sunday morning, moving clocks back one hour to 1:00 AM from 2:00 AM, granting an extra hour of sleep. The change, mandated by law, aims to align activities with daylight and affects biological rhythms. The National Laboratory of Physics maintains Israel's official time using atomic clocks, setting it at UTC+2 during winter.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israel switches to winter time Sunday, moving clocks back one hour to 1:00 AM.
- The time change grants an extra hour of sleep and brings earlier sunsets.
- Dr. Oleg Popov explained the goal is to align activities with daylight hours.
- Seasonal light changes can affect the body's melatonin and serotonin levels.
- Israel's official time is maintained by the National Laboratory of Physics.
- Atomic clocks are used to keep Israel's time at UTC+2 during winter.
Israel will transition from daylight saving time to standard winter time on Sunday morning, October 27th, at 2:00 AM. Clocks will be set back one hour to 1:00 AM, effectively granting an extra hour of sleep. This change means sunrise will occur earlier according to the clock, but sunset will also be earlier, leading to darkness in the late afternoon.
The switch is mandated by the Time Determination Law, updated in 2013, which stipulates that Israel moves to winter time on the last Sunday of October. Daylight saving time is scheduled to return on the last Friday of March 2027.
Dr. Oleg Popov, Time and Frequency Measurements Officer at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, explained that the primary goal of the time change is not to provide an extra hour of sleep, but to align daily activities with daylight hours. While daylight saving time extends daylight into the evening during summer, winter time allows many to start their day with natural light.
Beyond the shift in daylight, the Ministry of Economy notes the connection between seasons, light exposure, and the human biological clock. Shorter daylight hours in winter can affect the body's melatonin secretion, a hormone regulating sleep-wake cycles, potentially causing increased fatigue. Serotonin, a neurotransmitter linked to mood regulation, is also influenced by light exposure, and reduced sunlight may lead to lower moods for some individuals.
Israel's official time is maintained by the National Laboratory of Physics within the Ministry of Economy and Industry. This lab is responsible for the national time standard, UTC(INPL), using precise measurement systems to synchronize with international time standards. The system performs 86,400 comparisons daily to ensure accuracy for civilian and commercial systems, including broadcasting, telecommunications, and computing. Three atomic clocks based on cesium are used for highly accurate timekeeping. Israel's time is set at UTC+2 during winter and UTC+3 during summer.
Most smartphones and computers automatically adjust to winter time if set to update automatically and configured for Israel's time zone. However, manual adjustment is required for devices without automatic updates. Regardless, the transition brings an extra hour of sleep initially, followed by earlier sunsets.
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