Good Lifestyle

Each season affects your body differently. And in particular winter can send your REM cycle to spiral. During the coldest months, your body crosses various changes in order toKeep warm like temperatures fall. But what does it mean for your sleep exactly? Well, there are both positive and negative ways in which winter affects your sleep. Continue reading to learn how the season is affecting exactly your Snoozing time and what you can do to make sure you catch these Z!

Your Slee-Wake Change cycle.

In winter, we all know that there is alack of sunshine. As early as November, it's not black outdoors before dinner! Unfortunately, the lack of sunlight means more melatonin, the so-called "sleep hormone" responsible for regulating your sleep cycle.

"Light impacted directly the pituitonary, which secretes melatonin"Brad Lichtenstein, ND, President of the Department of Homeopathy of the University of Naturopathic Medicine of the University, saidAccuWeather. And less the sunlight that your body absorbs, the more it produces melatonin, which can make you feel lazy and tired.

The good news? There are things you can do to counter the effects of this lack of light. "Keep the lights on the house, make it as bright as possible and avoid nap in the evening to help you sleep better at night," suggestsHarris Shelby, Psyd, CBSM, an authorized psychologist, an expert in sleep medicine certified by the Council and the author ofThe Women's Guide to Overcoming Insomnia.

Changes in mood make you want to sleep more.

Not only does your body produce more melatonin in winter, but like theNational Sleep Foundation Explains, mood changes during the coldest season of the year also provoke the average person to want to sleep more.

"As much as 90% of the moods and energy levels of people are affected by changes in the seasons," the organization notes. In serious cases, people experienceseasonal emotional disorder (Sad) orwinter blues, both "can come from symptoms [with] that affect your sleep, includingloss of energy and need 1.75 to 2.5 hours of sleep every night, "the notes of the foundation.

But your stress hormone levels are decreasing.

Although you think that summer would be the season associated with lower stress levels, science says otherwise. WhenA Polish research team Analyzed the seasonal cortisol levels of female subjects in 2018, they found that women had higher levels of the stress hormone during the summer.

SinceCortisol interferes with sleep cycle And can even cause insomnia, these conclusions have indirectly shown that winter also has a positive impact.

The dry air makes sleep more difficult.

In winter, the air becomes almost entirely devoid of moisture. This lack of moisture, like theNational Sleep Foundation Explain: "can irritate your throat and trigger convulsions of cough or even gagging, which makes it difficult."

If you are already under the weather, sleeping in this dry environment can also exacerbate your condition, which makes it difficult for autumn (and stay) asleep. In winter, try using a humidifier at night to avoid these seasonal disruptive sleep effects.

And sleeping with the open window can disrupt your Z.

Sometimes, in winter, sleeping with a cool breeze that blows in your room is a good way to counterbalance the heat of blasting. Although it can help you refresh enough enough to fall asleep, it's not great as far asstayAsleep is concerned. A 2017 study published in the journalEnergy and buildings found that when the subjects had a flow of cold air blowing directly on them, they moved more in their sleep, had higher heart rates andI woke up more all night.

In addition, sleeping with the open window can make the temperature in your room less than ideal for sleeping. "The ideal sleep temperature is in the 1960s in the mid-1960s," says Harris. "If you're a bit cold, sleep with socks, but do not get too warm, because it can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Same thing to be too cold."