(CNN Spanish) — Much of Mexico will switch to Daylight Savings Time in the early morning hours of Sunday, October 30, which will see clocks turn back one hour. And it will be the last time.
The change, which will take place on Sunday at 02:00 a.m., will abolish daylight saving time, which began on Sunday, April 3.
This measure, which has been in force in the country since 1996 and meant that Mexicans move the clock forward every April and move it back months later, was abolished in 2022 after the adoption of a law abolishing daylight saving time.
(For the weekend of October 30, remember that clocks on your internet-connected device generally adjust the time automatically, but otherwise you’ll need to change it manually. It’s best to do this before you go to bed on Saturday, so you wake up on time).
Which places do not follow this change?
The time change will not be in the states of Quintana Roo and Sonora, which do not change their time before the arrival of summer.
Also note that if you live in states bordering the United States, your time has changed at the same time as your neighbor to the north as summer approaches and will end on November 6th.
How much does Mexico save by changing the time?
The goal of moving the hands of the clock in the summer (which implies moving the hands backwards when winter approaches) is to save energy. However, according to the administration, the impact on this variable “is very low in relation to total consumption” and zero in family consumption, according to the explanation given by the Minister of Energy, Rocío Nahle, when presenting the initiative to end daylight saving time.
In 2021, according to the Ministry of Energy, the savings caused by daylight saving time was 537 gigawatts per hour, representing 0.16% of national consumption, equivalent to 1.138 million pesos (US$55,288).
This year, Nahle published the results of a survey on the subject, in which 71% of participants said they did not agree with the time change. “There is a general rejection, there is a persistent disagreement in society since 1996, when this schedule was established,” he said in July, without elaborating.
Another of the arguments given by the Government of Mexico to say goodbye to this schedule, which is shared by many experts, is related to health.
The changes disrupt our sleep patterns and harm our health, according to experts from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The impacts are wide-ranging and include bad news for cardiovascular health, possible stroke and atrial fibrillation, medical errors, mental health problems and even traffic accidents.
It’s time to change your practices
Many people look forward to the extra hour of sleep that comes with Daylight Savings Time, but it’s not enough to erase chronic sleep deprivation, Dr. Kannan Ramar, a professor of medicine at the Center for Sleep Medicine in New York, told CNN. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
However, an extra hour of rest can make you wake up more refreshed, which can motivate you to sleep more.
This is a good time to implement healthy “sleep hygiene” practices that will help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep. Here we explain how you can do it.
With a report from CNN’s Megan Marples and Jen Rose Smith.