Do We Need More Sleep In Winter

While seven to nine hours of sleep is still a healthy benchmark year round you may find that you need an hour or two more than you did in the sunny days of summer to feel bright eyed.

Do we need more sleep in winter. Experts agree that it s actually much more likely that our need to sleep more in winter is associated with the amount of light we are exposed to. The kicker is while you may want to sleep more in the winter it s actually harder to achieve a consistent good night s sleep. The key thing is to limit your sleep to between 7 10 hours per night for healthy adults. More sleep is natural in the wintertime according to the national sleep foundation.

And in the winter especially in northern latitudes where the daylight hours are especially short light can be scarce. The link between our internal body clock that drives our sleep wake cycle and light has indeed been well established. After a transition period the body will naturally adjust to the new environment. This change in sleep habits is mainly due to the reduction in daylight hours in the wintertime.

The normal range is an extra 1 75 to 2 5 hours per night. Our bodies are programmed to want to sleep when it s dark and to be awake during the day. While winter kicked off around the country with an unusually mild start the cold weather is officially in full gear now. Many people report that they feel tired and want to sleep more during the winter hasler said.

Brant hasler professor of psychiatry at the university of pittsburgh the most common reason for wanting to sleep more in the winter is extended hours of darkness. Your circadian rhythm which regulates your body clock is maintained by exposure to light. The nhs explains that although people tend to be more lethargic in winter the body doesn t actually require more time in bed. Clear the clutter have comfortable and warm bedding and turn off the tv.

Make sure your bedroom helps you feel relaxed and sleepy. We don t actually require any more sleep in winter than we do in summer aim for about eight hours of shut eye a night and try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. It s likely that your feelings of. We actually need more sleep.

But for a season linked to hibernating these next months can actually have a unique way of keeping us awake. Thankfully that s not necessarily a bad thing.