
We are two weeks away from the summer time change. Between Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 March, daylight saving time returns with the clock hands moving forward one hour.
For decades, the countries of the European Union apply two hours, the winter time, which starts on the last Sunday of October, and the summer time, which returns on the last Sunday of March. In addition to countries that have supported the initiative taken to save electricity, there are countries such as Turkey and Russia that have an annual clock.
The first to theorize the use of daylight saving time was Benjamin Franklin, who described the guidelines in his essay "Economic Project to Reduce the Cost of Light."
In Franklin's years, clocks were not widespread and railroads had not yet been built, so the need to synchronize records was not as high a priority, but this introduction accelerated progress in many respects.
However, Benjamin Franklin's idea was not followed until William Willet proposed the use of summer time in the British House of Commons in 1907. The proposal was accepted in 1916 when, in wartime, it was necessary to save energy.
According to some researchers, daylight saving time is said to bring greater benefits to our health because it is more in sync with our biological clock, which needs darkness during the evening hours to produce melatonin and ensure proper rest.
However, due to the recent energy crisis, many are calling for the final abandonment of solar time, adopting daylight saving time throughout the year.
Although for three years it has been discussed as the last time to change the clock, we still have to wait if there will be an official decision from the EU.
The most affected by the time change are undoubtedly the active citizens in work and educational relationships, who prefer an unchanged time.