- A new study in Frontiers in Neuroscience found that our sleep habits and sleep quality changes per season.
- We tend to sleep slightly longer in winter and get more REM sleep, which offers health and performance benefits.
- While you don’t need to change your sleep habits according to the season, it’s smart to embrace the natural changes we make during cold, shorter days, like heading to bed earlier.
While the shorter days of winter can feel like an annoyance—it’s difficult to squeeze in a run before or after work when it’s so dark outside—recent research may have uncovered a benefit to the limited daylight hours.
Circadian rhythms get set by sunlight and day length and that can affect our sleep duration and quality. Well, in winter, this could potentially result in more REM sleep cycles and slightly longer sleep time, according to a new study in Frontiers in Neuroscience.
Analyzing data from nearly 200 patients with diagnosed sleep disturbances, like insomnia, researchers assessed sleep studies conducted with participants in laboratories, where they could monitor variables like frequent waking, time spent falling asleep, and sleep cycles. None of the participants took sleep medications during the study periods.
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The results were subtle but showed significant changes according to season, the researchers concluded. Total sleep time was about an hour longer in winter, but the shift they found most notable was the boost in REM sleep.
REM sleep is the phase when most dreams occur and when your muscles become temporarily unable to move. It’s important for a range of health benefits, including athletic performance. For example, one study found that poor sleep quality could affect training recovery and immune response. REM sleep is also crucial for processing new information, forming long-term memories, and for better concentration and mood regulation, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
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Although the results imply that we need more or less sleep based on the seasons, that’s not necessarily the case, according to W. Chris Winter, M.D., neurologist and sleep specialist, and author of The Sleep Solution (who was not involved in the study).
While this research points to the benefits of changing sleep patterns per season, Winter told Runner’s World that we tend to make these changes naturally. For example, we stay up later in the summer because it’s light for so long, or we tuck into bed early in the colder months when we don’t feel like going outside. That doesn’t mean getting the same amount of sleep in the winter as you do in the summer is going to negatively affect your health. However, if you embrace that earlier bedtime in winter, it can pay off.
Another reason why you might sleep better in the winter is that cooler temperatures have been shown to help people fall asleep more easily and experience fewer sleep disruptions, Winter added. That means if you live in a chilly place and crack a window open in your bedroom or you keep the heat lower, you may get deeper and better quality sleep than you would in a warmer room.
All that said, good sleep habits are the same any time of year, Winter said. That means having an evening wind-down routine—preferably without screens for least a half hour to a full hour before your head hits the pillow—refraining from caffeine after 12 p.m., tweaking your workout schedule so you’re not exercising within two hours of bedtime, and getting up at about the same time each day.
Plus, even in the winter months, it’s helpful to get some natural light during the day, which research suggests can help your body maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
There is rarely one habit—like going to bed earlier in the darker months—that can transform sleep overall, said Winter. Rather, obtaining quality sleep is a matter of tweaking individual habits and finding out what works best for you.
Elizabeth Millard is a freelance writer focusing on health, wellness, fitness, and food.
