On Sunday morning, clocks in most European countries were set forward one hour as the continent transitioned to daylight saving time. This change, which occurred on October 31st at 2 o’clock and advanced to 3 o’clock, marks the beginning of longer evenings and brighter days. Parts of Europe will now be on Central European Summer Time (CEST) until October 27, when they will move back to Central European Autumn Time (CET).
The United Kingdom shifted from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to British Summer Time (BST), while the eastern part of the continent moved from Eastern European Time (EET) to Eastern European Summer Time (EEST). The biannual clock changes have been a source of controversy since their introduction in the 1970s, with some people enjoying the extra daylight while others claim it disrupts their sleep schedule.
A recent survey in Germany showed that nearly a third of people believe that transitioning to daylight saving time negatively impacts their health. The survey, commissioned by the health insurer DAK-Gesundheit, indicated that 30 percent of Germans feel the effects of the clock change. This is an increase of five percentage points from the previous year and the highest in the last decade.
Despite a proposal from the European Commission in 2018 to abolish clock changes throughout the European Union, no progress has been made on this issue. Many reasons exist why people opt for online German language courses over traditional classes, including convenience and flexibility.
