Is it normal to sleep more in fall and winter?

34% of U.S. adults say they sleep more during winter. For many, the dark, cold winter months are a time to catch up on sleep. According to a recent American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) survey, 34% percent of U.S. adults report sleeping more in winter, compared to 10% who sleep less than usual.


Is it normal to sleep more during winter?

More sleep is natural in the wintertime, according to the National Sleep Foundation. The normal range is an extra 1.75 to 2.5 hours per night. The key thing is to limit your sleep to between 7-10 hours per night (for healthy adults).

Why do I sleep more in the fall?

A temperature of 60-70 degrees is most conducive to falling and staying asleep, according to this study from the National Institutes of Health. Also, with the shorter daylight in our days along with less light exposure, we produce more melatonin—the hormone that regulates the circadian rhythm and makes you feel sleepy.


Why have I been sleeping so much in the winter?

The days get shorter during the winter months, especially in northern states, Dr. Bazan says. Unfortunately, reduced sun exposure can dramatically affect your circadian rhythm, causing your body to produce more melatonin (a.k.a., the sleep hormone). The end result: You feel tired more often.

Do I need more sleep when the seasons change?

But one part of life that should always hold steady is a good, consistent sleep pattern. More substantial scientific research is needed, but studies show that sleep is found to be longer in the winter and shorter in the summer due to increased day length and temperature in the warmer months.


Why do I feel sleepy in winter?



Why do I sleep so much when the weather changes?

Lower barometric pressure, which tends to accompany stormy weather, reduces the amount of available oxygen in the air. Drowsiness is one of the first signs of insufficient oxygen.” Additionally, the pressure difference affects the balance of pressure between your body and the atmosphere.

Why am I so tired when seasons change?

What is seasonal fatigue? Seasonal fatigue involves feelings of tiredness that come from shorter days disrupting sleep patterns and waking cycles. This fatigue also can happen because lower levels of sunlight produce more melatonin (a sleep hormone), which increases feelings of sleepiness.

What is winter fatigue?

"When it is dark, we produce more melatonin, which gives us feelings of tiredness. So in the winter when it is darker, we may produce more melatonin, which can impact on our mood and leave us feeling more fatigued and tired compared to the summer months." A vitamin D deficiency can also make us feel fatigued.


Why does cold weather make me sleepy?

Your body can also lose heat faster than you can produce it. That can cause hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. It can make you sleepy, confused, and clumsy. Because it happens gradually and affects your thinking, you may not realize you need help.

How do I stop oversleeping in the winter?

Practise clean sleeping

We all know sleeping too little can make you feel wiped out the next day, but oversleeping during winter can also make you feel sluggish in the mornings. It might be tempting to hibernate when it's cold and dark outside, but try to get into some healthy bedtime habits.

Is it okay to sleep all day once in awhile?

And while the occasional long sleep is generally nothing to worry about, oversleeping several days a week could be a sign that something more serious is going on.


Do you need more sleep in the fall?

In the Fall, only a minority of people actually get that promised extra hour of sleep. During the following week, many people wake up earlier, have more trouble falling asleep, and are more likely to wake up during the night.

What is fall fatigue?

In medical terms autumn fatigue is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): a state of mind that is disrupted by the change of the seasons. The complaints can go from slight fatigue to an actual depression. The complaints have one common cause which is the lack of (sun)light.

Does cold weather make you lazy?

As the winter months drag on, your serotonin levels continue to drop, making you feel more and more sluggish and yucky. For some people, that can lead to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is a type of depression associated with changes in the seasons, according to the Mayo Clinic.


How can I get more energy in the winter?

5 Tips for Boosting your Energy During the Winter
  1. Soak up Some Sun. The winter blues are partially caused by the shortage of sunlight that can disrupt your sleep and waking cycles by making your brain produce more melatonin. ...
  2. Get Enough Sleep. ...
  3. Exercise. ...
  4. Eat Right. ...
  5. Hydrate. ...
  6. Try IV for Fatigue.


Why am I weaker in the winter?

Cold Weather Reduces Muscle Function.

Within the same vein, the cold also reduces muscle function. While tighter muscles do lead to reduced function, the cold reduces what they can do in different ways. As your body gets colder, the nerve impulses in your body also slow down.

Why am I always tired cold and have no energy?

Often, this happens because of your diet. A lack of iron or vitamin-rich foods can affect your body's ability to produce these cells. Decreased red blood cells can also be a result of problems with blood production in your bone marrow. Many diseases, like leukemia, affect the way bone marrow produces blood cells.


How long does it take for your body to adjust to new weather?

Acclimatization usually occurs over a period of about two weeks in healthy, normal persons. This process is faster in response to heat, but slower in the cold.

Do you sleep better in summer or winter?

Summer's long days can actually steal our sleep

After looking at 548,005 nights of year-round sleep data from 28,191 Americans, SleepScore Labs found that in summer, bedtimes tend to average 11 minutes later at night than at other times of the year.

How do I get rid of autumn fatigue?

3 Ways to Beat Fall Fatigue
  1. Soak Up the Sun. If you're suffering from fall fatigue, the winter blues, SAD, etc., step one to feeling better is sunshine. ...
  2. Get Active. ...
  3. Try Artificial Light Sources.


What are two warning signs of fatigue?

Symptoms of fatigue
  • chronic tiredness or sleepiness.
  • headache.
  • dizziness.
  • sore or aching muscles.
  • muscle weakness.
  • slowed reflexes and responses.
  • impaired decision-making and judgement.
  • moodiness, such as irritability.


What is the fatigue age?

In fact, nearly a third of people aged 51 and up experience fatigue, according to a study by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in 2010. But if you feel tired for weeks at a time and don't feel refreshed after a good night's sleep, there might be an underlying cause.

Does fall back give you more sleep?

Why do we get an extra hour of sleep? The real reason we change the clocks back is to get some extra light: As winter approaches, it gets darker earlier, which can throw off the circadian rhythms that moderate our sleep and are affected by light.


Is 2 hours of sleep better than staying up all night?

Sleeping between 90 and 110 minutes gives your body time to complete one full sleep cycle and can minimize grogginess when you wake. But any sleep is better than not at all — even if it's a 20-minute nap.

Do you gain 1 hour in the fall?

Today, most Americans spring forward (turn clocks ahead and lose an hour) on the second Sunday in March (at 2:00 A.M.) and fall back (turn clocks back and gain an hour) on the first Sunday in November (at 2:00 A.M.). See how your sunrise and sunset times will change with our Sunrise/set Calculator.