Poland will go back to winter time on the night of October 27, forcing residents to set clocks back an hour, a change that could affect sleep health.
When is the winter time change?
Poland will switch from summer to winter time on the night of October 27. Residents must move clocks back from 3:00 to 2:00, gaining an hour of sleep.
The following change will occur at the end of March, when clocks will move forward again, meaning people will lose an hour of sleep.
When could the time changes end?
The 2001 EU directive regulates time changes, and it applies in Poland and other EU states.
In Poland, the 2022 Council Regulation also governs these adjustments and remains in force until the end of 2026, implying that changes will continue at least through next year.
Consequences of the time change
Dr. Marcin Król notes that, from a medical perspective, a time change is usually detrimental to health. About half of people experience some form of sleep disorder.
Shifting biological rhythms challenges the body’s sleep hygiene and requires several days, sometimes weeks, to reacclimatise.
Sleep‑medicine specialists state that biannual clock adjustments disrupt the circadian rhythm and harm health; Prof. Mariusz Siemiński of the Department of Public Health at Gdańsk Medical University confirms that twice‑annual changes are a health burden.