Quebecers will have to turn their clocks back one hour on Nov. 5 to participate in this strange ritual that the province has performed every year since 1940, along with about 70 other states around the world. this is the reason.
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Every year, Quebec reverts to Eastern Standard Time on the first Sunday in November. This time zone is five hours below Coordinated Universal Time (UTC – 5 AM), meaning the reference time used by the majority of countries in the world.
The change occurs for the second time on the second Sunday in March, which is the day Quebec switches to daylight saving time (UTC – 4 a.m.).
Why change the time?
Essentially, time shifting was introduced to increase production during World War I. In addition to saving energy, the goal is to make the most of daylight. In other words, without the time change in summer, the sun would rise earlier and set earlier, so our social habits would not allow us to take full advantage of it.
In order to be compatible with other systems, especially in the south of the country, the official local time was adjusted, in particular to facilitate cross-border commercial exchanges, banking and legal operations, and air traffic regulation.
Some experts also believe that saving energy isn’t that important, especially thanks to new, greener technologies.
“At the time of its implementation, lighting was much more important in a home’s electricity consumption. Electric lights were less efficient than they are today, and heating was not electric,” explained Marc-Antoine Beaulieu, Hydro-Québec’s press officer. Montreal Journal.
Health effects
Switching to daylight saving time is usually more stressful than switching to winter time, because you “lose” an hour of sleep.
Many experts question the feasibility of changing time, noting that our biological clock, which determines when we feel hungry or tired, for example, is not very flexible.
Changing the time can disrupt the sleep cycle, leading to other major health problems. Unregulated sleep can lead to risks of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, work or road accidents, etc.
Children and the elderly, for whom routine is more important than for other populations, are the most disturbed by time changes. Pets can also be upset.
“For children, it will disrupt nap time. Older people, especially those in institutions, eat at a specific time and it disrupts them. Their tummies will be rumbling in the morning for the next few days. All of this affects people’s moods,” said Roger Godbout. , director of the sleep laboratory and clinic at the Rivière-des-Prairies mental health hospital, for example, in an interview with LCN.
This is not the case everywhere
It’s 19 o’clockH In the twentieth century, the beginnings of changing times appeared in people’s minds to provide lighting thanks to sunlight.
If the time change was adopted in Quebec in 1940, then in 1916 it was adopted by the first European countries: Germany, England and France. The United States followed suit at the end of World War I.
In the 1920s, it reached a few places across the country, and then in the 1950s it was standardized across Canada.
In 2007, Quebec’s Statutory Time Act was adopted to extend the daylight saving time period to match the American calendar. Newspaper.
However, some countries later decided to abandon it, or even never adopt it. Among these countries whose time does not change, we find Argentina, India, and Japan.
The Russians also canceled the time change in October 2014. Russia now lives in standard time (winter time) year-round.
In Canada, some provinces have also decided not to participate, including Yukon, Saskatchewan and parts of British Columbia.
There are also differences within the province. Mingani, which includes Anticosti Island, is on Eastern Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time, while the Lower North Coast is on Atlantic Standard Time year-round.
In Quebec, areas east of 63H The degree of longitude west, near Labrador, does not change the time. This is the case in Blanc Sablon. When Quebec advances time, the city shares the clock with Quebec. In winter, it is more on nautical time, such as the Magdalen Islands.
He explained that Blanc Sablon is located near Newfoundland, that is, 30 minutes behind nautical time. Newspaper.
US case
In March 2022, the US Senate unanimously approved a bill to repeal the time change in the United States, proposing the use of daylight saving time year-round.
The sun protection bill has been reintroduced by Senator Marco Rubio, and it has not yet been approved by Joe Biden, who has veto power and can decide whether to turn this bill into law. The draft law has not yet reached the House of Representatives.
Here are some tips to make it easier to adapt to the time change:
1. Do not change your rhythm and keep the same times for your meals or sleep. Take advantage of natural light and sunlight to help your body’s internal clock adjust more easily and quickly. It may also be a good idea to prepare gradually and in advance;
2. Try light therapy, artificial light that will allow you to resynchronize your sleep/wake cycle. It is preferable to use it between 30 to 60 minutes daily, at regular times and as soon as possible after waking up.
3. Boost your sleep quality as much as possible by reducing alcohol consumption and getting minimal exercise, preferably in daylight.
