Transition to "summer time": will the clocks be moved in Ukraine, and how does it affect the body
Kyiv • UNN
On March 30 at 3:00 a.m., Ukraine will switch to summer time, and the clocks will need to be moved forward by one hour. Moving the clocks can negatively affect biological rhythms and overall health.
On March 30 at 3:00 a.m., Ukraine will switch to "daylight saving time." Clocks must be moved forward one hour. UNN tells what is known about the clock change in Ukraine, and how it affects the body and sleep in general.
Details
The clock change in Ukraine is regulated by resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 509 of May 13, 1996, which states that "To introduce the following procedure for calculating time on the territory of Ukraine: the time of the second time zone (Kyiv time) with the annual change of the clock in the last Sunday of March at 3 o'clock by 1 hour forward and in the last Sunday of October at 4 o'clock by 1 hour back".
Ukraine has been switching to summer and winter time since 1981. The abolition of the clock change in Ukraine has been talked about for quite a long time. In particular, Ukraine tried to abandon the clock change in 2011, but later this decision was cancelled.
The abolition of the seasonal clock change was actively discussed in 2020, when in October of that year, the first vice-speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, and now the speaker of the Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, submitted a relevant draft law to the parliament.
According to the draft law, Ukraine was supposed to remain in "winter time" forever, or UTC+2 according to the international scale.
In the explanatory note, Stefanchuk pointed out that it is aimed not only at resolving issues related to determining the legal principles of time calculation in Ukraine, but also designed to ensure the protection of the territorial integrity and strengthening of national security of Ukraine, since, as is known, the time of the aggressor state - the Russian Federation - is set in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
"Therefore, the establishment and consolidation of a single Kyiv time throughout the territory of Ukraine, without exception, will in turn strengthen Ukraine's security position and contribute to the de-occupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories," Stefanchuk said.
The Speaker of the Rada also argued that the draft law is aimed at protecting the health of the population, since, according to most scientists and doctors, the specified procedure for calculating time in terms of the annual clock change by one hour forward and backward, has a number of negative consequences, causes a significant deterioration in the health of citizens during the period of adaptation to "summer" and "winter" time.
Such a "seasonal time jump" leads to a change in human biological rhythms, which negatively affects the general condition of a person, both physiological and psychological.
However, the draft law was adopted in the first reading only in March 2021, and therefore there was almost no time for its adoption in the second reading. In addition, the deputies could not even support it in the second reading, so it was sent for a repeated second reading.
However, already in July 2024, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted draft law No. 4201 on the abolition of the time change in Ukraine from winter to summer.
Rada passes bill to cancel daylight saving time16.07.24, 14:56 • 26934 views
After rejecting the blocking resolutions for its signing, the law was still sent to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy for signature, who has not yet signed it and is unlikely to do so.
In October, the BBC, citing sources, reported that President Zelenskyy was not going to sign the draft law.
Permanent “winter time”: Zelensky does not plan to sign the law - media24.10.24, 13:41 • 18533 views
In a comment to UNN, somnologist Daria Pylypenko said that the clock change negatively affects a person.
Pulling twice a year.. it has a negative impact. Secondly, "summer time" is artificial time. Biological time is "winter time". We should definitely stay on "winter time". For example, the transition to "summer time" is more disturbing for the body, because there is an accumulated lack of sleep, which can never even be compensated. And again, we can never adapt to summer time directly by 100%. And plus, we generally, all Ukrainians, have a sleep deficit. In principle, we don't get enough sleep