A study has shed light on why humans may need more sleep during the winter.
The analysis of people in sleep studies found that people get more REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep in the winter.
If the findings can be replicated in people with healthy sleeping, this would provide the first evidence for a need to adjust sleeping habits to the season, perhaps by going to bed earlier in the darker and colder months, researchers say.
During REM sleep, brain activity increases and people may dream.
Normal sleep starts with three stages of non-REM sleep at first, followed by a short period of REM sleep.
Whether people consider themselves morning people or night owls, our body clocks are set by the Sun.
Therefore, in theory, changing day length and light exposure over the course of the year could affect the amount and quality of sleep.
Findings from researchers studying sleep difficulties suggest that even in an urban population experiencing disrupted sleep, humans have longer REM sleep in winter than summer and less deep sleep in autumn.
Some Dubai schools choose later start to help pupils get more sleep - in pictures
“Possibly one of the most precious achievements in human evolution is an almost invisibility of seasonality on the behavioural level," said Dr Dieter Kunz, corresponding author of the study, based at the Clinic of Sleep and Chronomedicine at the St Hedwig Hospital, Germany.
“In our study we show that human sleep architecture varies substantially across seasons in an adult population living in an urban environment.”
Although the people involved in the study were based in an urban environment with low natural light exposure and high light pollution, which should affect light indicating the season, the scientists say they found subtle but striking changes.
While total sleep time appeared to be about an hour longer in the winter than the summer, this result was not considered statistically significant.
But REM sleep, which is known to be directly linked to the circadian clock that is affected by changing light, was 30 minutes longer in the winter than in summer.
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While the researchers acknowledge that these results would need to be validated in people with no sleep difficulties, the seasonal changes may be even greater in a healthy population.
While most people’s waking time is largely out of their control, due to school or work schedules, society might benefit from changes that would allow humans to respond more effectively to the different seasons, the scientists say.
In the meantime, going to sleep earlier in the winter might help to accommodate human seasonality.
“Seasonality is ubiquitous in any living being on this planet," Dr Kunz said.
“Even though we still perform unchanged, over the winter human physiology is down-regulated, with a sensation of ‘running-on-empty’ in February or March.
“In general, societies need to adjust sleep habits including length and timing to season, or adjust school and working schedules to seasonal sleep needs.”
A team of scientists led by Aileen Seidler in Dr Kunz’s working group at the Charite Medical University of Berlin, recruited 292 patients who had undergone sleep studies called polysomnographies at the St Hedwig Hospital.
These studies are regularly carried out on patients who experience sleep-related difficulties.
A special laboratory is used where patients are asked to sleep naturally without an alarm clock, and the quality and type of sleep can be monitored, as well as the length of sleep.
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The researchers say that although the sleep disorders could affect the results, this makes for a large study group evenly spread throughout the year, allowing for the investigation of month-to-month differences.
After exclusions were made for people taking sleep-affecting medication, technical errors and for those who may have skipped the first REM stage, 188 patients remained.
Most of their diagnoses showed no seasonal pattern, but insomnia was more commonly diagnosed towards the end of the year.
The findings are published in the Frontiers in Neuroscience journal.
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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