New research suggests that while humans don’t hibernate, they need more sleep during the colder months, The Guardian reports. Analysis of people undergoing a sleep study revealed that individuals sleep more in winter. Thus, total sleep time appears to be about one hour longer in winter than in summer. REM sleep (which is known to be directly related to the circadian clock, which is affected by changes in light) is 30 minutes longer in winter than in summer.
The study suggests that even in an urban population with disrupted sleep, humans experience longer REM sleep in winter than in summer and shallower sleep in autumn.
The researchers say that if the study results can be replicated in people with healthy sleep, it would provide the first evidence for the need to adapt sleep patterns to the seasons; perhaps by going to bed earlier in the darker, colder months.
Study leader Dr. Dieter Kunz, who practices at a hospital in Germany, believes that “seasonality is pervasive in every living thing on this planet.” “Even though our performance remains unchanged during the winter, human physiology is down-regulated, with a feeling of ‘idle running’ in February or March,” he says. “In general, societies need to adapt their sleep habits, including the duration and timing of sleep, to the season, or adapt school and work schedules to seasonal sleep needs,” he said. .
