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Summary for: 'Jet lag without the travel': Czechia loses an hour of sleep this SundayResidents across Czechia will lose an hour of sleep this weekend as the country transitions to daylight saving time.
At 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 29, clocks will skip forward to 3 a.m., marking the start of a cycle that remains a point of domestic and international contention.
While the European Union has long debated ending the biannual clock shift, the Czech government is currently operating under a five-year mandate approved in 2021. This regulation ensures the continuation of the practice through October 2026.
Without a unified agreement from EU member states on whether to adopt permanent summer or winter time, the Czech cabinet will likely be forced to pass new legislation for 2027 and beyond.
Criticism from experts
The shift continues to draw criticism from local health and safety experts. Psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist Peter Šóš told iDNES.cz that the spring transition acts as a form of "jet lag without the travel," disrupting biological clocks and increasing irritability.
"Studies link lack of sleep during daylight saving time with traffic accidents, workplace injuries, and even an increased risk of heart attack," Šóš noted.
Conversely, the return to standard time in October presents its own dangers. Traffic expert Roman Budský warned that the sudden earlier onset of darkness in autumn leads to higher risks on Czech roads.
He noted that drivers often fail to adjust their "summer pace" to poor visibility, making pedestrians and cyclists more vulnerable.
know your abbreviations
CET – Central European Time
CEST – Central European Summer Time
GMT – Greenwich Mean Time, based on the rotation of the Earth measured using the prime meridian at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich
UTC – Coordinated Universal Time, successor to GMT based on atomic time measurement
What would ending the clock change look like?
According to the Time Use Initiative, under current proposals, the European Union would first abolish the biannual clock change altogether, keeping standard (winter) time year-round across all member states. This would eliminate the need to move clocks forward in spring and back in autumn.
In a second step, some countries would adjust their time zones to better align with natural daylight based on their geographic position. For instance, Spain, France, and the Netherlands would shift to Western European Time, while Greece would move to Central European Time.
When does the time change and where does it apply?
- Daylight saving time was first introduced in 1916 during World War I in Germany and Austria-Hungary, which included the Czech lands. A unified system across Europe was later established by the European Union in 2001.
- Clocks move forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October, at 1 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The Czech Republic follows Central European Time (CET), which is GMT+1.
- The change applies across the EU and most of Europe, except Iceland, Belarus, Russia, and some Norwegian islands, including Spitsbergen.
Still popular spring shift
Despite the health concerns associated with the spring shift, daylight saving time remains popular among the Czech public due to the extended evening light during the summer months. However, scientists generally argue that standard (winter) time is more beneficial for the human rhythm.
As the 2026 deadline for the current Czech regulation approaches, the lack of consensus in Brussels means locals should prepare for the status quo to continue.
Following this Sunday’s change, the country will return to Central European Time on Oct. 25, 2026, when clocks will move back one hour.
