Seasonal Changes In Sleeping Habits

By Rosana Horowitz

Seasons are an important part of our eco system, and the changes in seasons have an effect on most of the things in our environment. They affect the plant life around us as well as all other living beings including humans.

Sleep is a break, which every human being requires after doing a certain amount of work, and is essential for a healthy body, and mind. The sleeping timings and tendency of every being differs from others depending upon the need of individual body. Some people need a lot of sleep to perform their daily chores properly, and attentively; on the other hand, there are people as well who can survive on three to four hours sleep daily.

Seasons affect many aspects of the human body. They affect our diet, and the kinds of foods that we eat. They even affect moods, and can determine our happiness, or sadness. In the same way, it affects how human beings sleep, and wake up, and what kind of habits they acquire in different seasons.

It has been proven through research that magnetic field of earth alters with season. Change in magnetic field has a pronounced affect on human bodies, as it influences the secretion of the pineal gland, called the melatonin, which regulates circadian rhythms of the body. The sleep and wake cycle is directed by the circadian rhythms also known as the sleep/wake cycle, in other words this is the biological clock of the body.

Not only the magnetic field, but also the number of hours of daylight changes our sleeping, and waking pattern. The amount of sunlight and the number of hours we get reflects heavily on our sleeping and waking times.

Winters make the days shorter, and the nights are comparatively longer i.e. the sunsets are earlier, and sunrise is late in mornings, giving us more time to sleep. In summers, we get up when the sun has risen, but on the other hand, in winters when we rise, the sun is also rising. In summers, we get up earlier as the sun rises earlier. Seasons affect our moods, as stated earlier; it consequently affects our timings of going to bed, and waking up. The atmosphere is not very warm, and inviting, which puts people in a gloomy mood, because of that, they go to bed early, and wake up later in the morning. On the other hand, in summers, people have more energy in them, and they are usually in a bright mood, which keeps them fresh. Thus, they do not need as much sleep as required in winters.

It has been built in within our system that our biological clock is attuned to the changes in season, and sleeping patterns naturally, but some people find it difficult to change, or adjust their sleeping habits.

For their assistance, professional help is available, which is usually done through therapies. - 29881

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