Support The Moscow Times!

Moscow Residents Struggle with Early Sunrise on 'Winter Time'

More Muscovites are complaining of insomnia and buying blackout curtains this summer to cope with the early sunrise brought on by Russia's permanent switch to "winter time" last year, newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets reported Thursday,

"We noticed an increase in shoppers the middle of May," Natalia Borovikova, manager of a curtain shop in Moscow told Moskovsky Komsomolets. "People are interested in blinds that block out the light so it looks like night even in the middle of the day."

The official sunrise in Moscow right now is about 3:45 a.m., but the sky begins to get light 45-60 minutes earlier.

Doctors have also seen an increase in the number of patients complaining about insomnia and increased stress due to lack of sleep.

"The photons of light that permeate a human's brain give the body a signal to wake up … As the result, it leads to catastrophic lack of sleep … People begin to suffer from hypertension, problems with the thyroid gland, blood vessels," Roman Buzunov, a sleep disorder specialist told Moskovsky Komsomolets, adding that the permanent switch to winter time was "a mistake."

In July 2014, the State Duma voted to end Russia's short-lived stint on year-round "summer time," which began in 2011 when former President Dmitry Medvedev led an initiative for Russians to move their clocks forward an hour in the spring, but not move them back in the fall. The same legislation reduced the number of time zones in Russia from 11 to nine.

The summer solstice will take place this weekend on June 21.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more