Clocks change in the early hours of Sunday

In mainland Portugal and Madeira, clocks will move back from 02:00 to 01:00 in the early hours of Sunday, 25 October, while the Azores will go from 01:00 back to midnight. In Spain, the change will fall on the night of Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 October, when clocks go from 03:00 back to 02:00. The switch ends summer time and will give people an extra hour on the clock, but the sun will rise and set earlier by that clock time. The next change is scheduled for 28 March 2027, when Portugal returns to summer time and clocks move forward.

Portugal's earlier detour to Central European time

Portugal has lived under a different arrangement before. On 27 September 1992 the country kept its clocks where they were, so summer time became the new winter time and the mainland matched Central European time. The Government of Aníbal Cavaco Silva justified the move economically, arguing that Portuguese productive sectors started work later than those in other European Economic Community countries. Mainland Portugal then used UTC+1 in winter and UTC+2 in summer, so the day began earlier against the solar cycle while school and work start times stayed the same. In 1996 the Government of António Guterres reversed course, citing children's sleep disruption that affected learning, heavier traffic overlapping with hot temperatures, and an intended cut in electricity use that had not proved noticeable. Clocks stopped changing on 31 March 1996 and went back to UTC on 27 October that year, ending a four-year period that articles describe as living on Madrid and Paris time.

Europe's unfinished debate on the clock change

The twice-yearly switch has been under discussion for years without a final decision. A 2018 public consultation by the European Commission drew more than 4.6 million contributions from across member states, and 85% of Portuguese respondents, about 29,000 people, voted to end the practice. The European Parliament backed ending the change in 2019, but the measure stalled for lack of consensus among member states. In 2025, Spain's prime minister Pedro Sánchez proposed dropping clock changes from 2026, and the Commission and Parliament then urged member states to agree, yet the Council of the European Union never reached a common position. In March 2026 the Commission said it was preparing a study to support a new review, so the current system stays in place until a definitive decision is made.

Sleep, children and the first week

Specialists in Portugal and Spain say the body needs time to catch up with the new clock. Joana Marques, a child sleep specialist and lecturer at ESSATLA, advises families to keep meals and activities regular, respect the naps younger children still need, and seek morning light while reducing screens at night. She explains the reason for the lag:

“The biological clock synchronises mainly with light and darkness.”

Alicia Marqués, a child sleep expert, says a child who usually wakes at 07:00 may wake at 06:00 on the new clock at first. She puts it plainly:

“Our internal clock does not change from one day to the next.”

She expects most children to need about a week to adapt fully and advises shifting routines gradually in the week before the change. If a child who slept well still has disrupted sleep after two weeks, she says the clock change is unlikely to be the cause and the sleep should be assessed. Àngel Guirado, a psychologist from Girona, says adults with rigid routines may feel tired, mentally heavy and less focused for a while, with symptoms resembling jet lag. He argues that darker evenings bring earlier melatonin release and better sleep:

“From Sunday we will sleep better because, if it gets dark earlier, melatonin secretion will also start earlier.”

Mafalda Navarro, a psychologist at Clínica Teresa Rebelo Pinto, says adaptation can take several days, and she warns that parents may see more irritability, crying and resistance to limits in children, especially on waking or late in the day.

Home security during the darker months

Verisure Portugal's security specialists say the shift to winter means many people leave home in the dark and return after sunset. They recommend checking doors, windows, locks, cameras and alarm systems before the change takes effect. Programmed or smart lighting can create signs of activity when nobody is home, and avoiding a build-up of post also helps. Connected security systems can send notifications and let residents view cameras and follow entries and exits from a phone. The guidance also covers the outside of the home, including entrances, gates and garages.