
If you like to sleep and be wrapped up in the comfort of blankets, then this news is for you: winter time is coming this weekend. More specifically, in the early hours of Saturday to Sunday, between October 26 and 27.
In mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Region of Madeira, this means that at 2am the hands of the clock will turn back one hour to 1am. In the Autonomous Region of the Azores, the time adjustment takes place at 1 a.m., moving to midnight.
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Why are there winter and daylight saving times?
Although the time changes twice a year in Portugal and elsewhere, the truth is that this is not a unanimous issue. In fact, there are various angles that help us understand why this is the case, particularly from an energy and sustainability point of view.
In this context, we briefly present some of the motivations behind this timetable adjustment:
- Maximum use of sunlight
- Energy savings
- The time change follows a European Union directive
A brief look at history
We’d like to share a curiosity about this topic. The time change dates back to the beginning of the 20th century.
According to an article on the Rádio Renascençawebsite, during World War I, energy consumption became a problem due to the war effort.
In order to reduce the constraints caused by the need to save coal, the possibility of changing the time to maximize daylight was discussed. In 1916, Germany formally adopted the time change.

When is the next time change?
As already mentioned, time adjustments take place twice a year. More specifically, on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October.
Therefore, daylight saving time won’t arrive until March 30, 2025. Until then, get some more sleep!