How Sleep Changes in Winter Seasons

Proper sleep hygiene is a crucial aspect of preserving sound mental health for both our inpatient residents in Middleton and our outpatient program participants in Waukesha. 

It’s also a fascinating area of research. Researchers have asked questions such as:  

• Why does the winter feel sleepier and less energetic?
• Do people feel more tired and sleep longer in the winter than in the summer?
• Do colder temperatures actually help people sleep better or longer?

One study showed that winter may increase the amount of REM and NREM sleep people get. So there you have it—it’s not just your mind playing tricks on you or a symptom of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) causing you to sleep more. It may be seasonal! 

We’re going to dive into the two most general and well-known stages of sleep, REM and NREM (even though sleep scientists have named as many as four sleep stages). Learning about how these stages relate to each other and how they benefit your body and mind may provide some insight into the importance of sleep for your mental health. 

REM: Why It’s Important For Your Mental Health

Think of your brain as a movie theater that runs two main shows every night: REM and NREM. Both are essential for resting the body, repairing any damages it sustains during the day, and maintaining overall health and wellness. 

REM stands for rapid eye movement. At this stage of sleep, your brain is most active and resembles its waking life activity levels most. We usually dream during the REM cycle. Here are the top characteristics of REM:

• Your eyes move rapidly even though they’re closed
• Your heart rate rises
• This stage is linked to our circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock that tries to sync with active behavior during the day and restfulness at night

Scientists think that REM supports successful emotional processing, problem-solving, healthy memory storage, and creativity. REM, therefore, is essential when it comes to breaking down emotions from the day into digestible pieces. Whether it be tackling a difficult subject you had to embrace during therapy or having a particularly challenging day coping with a mental health disorder, getting good sleep helps you bounce back more quickly.   

Why NREM Is Crucial For The Body, Mind, and Heart

About every 90-120 minutes, the brain leaves REM and enters the NREM stage, transitioning from one to the other in intervals. NREM stands for non-rapid eye movement. This is also called slow-wave sleep, and it’s associated with several fascinating things:

• Tissue repair
• Muscle building and repair
• Immune-system strengthening
• Memory consolidation 
• New information processing

This second type of deeper sleep lends a hand in reducing bodily and psychological stress, managing anxiety in waking life, supporting learning and memory, and keeping your brain healthy overall. By managing and decreasing stress, NREM sleep can support addiction recovery.  

Winter’s Sleep Advantage: The Coldest Season is Good For Something!

Research shows that people naturally sleep about an hour longer in December compared to June, even when they reported experiencing insomnia and sleep interruptions before the study took place. It also didn’t seem to matter if the participants were exposed to artificial light—potentially affecting their circadian rhythm—before heading to bed. In other words, even in our modern world of artificial lighting, late nights, and never-ending streaming options, our bodies still follow seasonal patterns!

Make the Most of Your Sleep Cycles This Winter

 If you’re looking to get the best rest possible, use your body’s internal clock optimally, and recover quicker from hard days this winter, Miramont has some tips:

• Embrace earlier bedtimes during winter
• Expose yourself to morning sunlight (even just 10-15 minutes helps!)
• Reduce bright light exposure at least 2 hours before bed
• Keep your bedroom cool but comfortable (you shouldn’t feel chilly at night, as this may hinder good sleep)
• Maintain consistent sleep schedules

Getting good sleep isn’t just a privilege or a recommendation; it’s a necessity if you want to maintain good mental health, relaxation, and the ability to fight illness and viruses during the winter months. Feel free to contact us today with any sleep-related questions as we head into December!