Humans may need to adapt their sleeping to different seasons, researchers say. Getty
Humans may need to adapt their sleeping to different seasons, researchers say. Getty
Humans may need to adapt their sleeping to different seasons, researchers say. Getty
Humans may need to adapt their sleeping to different seasons, researchers say. Getty

Health

Why we should change our sleep patterns with the seasons

Feel like you're running on empty in February and March? Scientists may have found the answer

Soraya Ebrahimi
Soraya Ebrahimi

February 17, 2023

  • English
  • Arabic

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.

READ MORE

Deepak Chopra's five tips for living healthier, including more sleep and stress management

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

Pupils walking on the campus at Jumeira Baccalaureate School.
Pupils walking on the campus at Jumeira Baccalaureate School.
Children arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Children arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Families on the first day of school after the summer holidays at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Families on the first day of school after the summer holidays at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Children arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays. Dubai British School, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Children arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays. Dubai British School, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Families are excited about the later start at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Families are excited about the later start at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Pupils are excited about the later start at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Pupils are excited about the later start at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Children arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Children arrive for the first day of school after the summer holidays at Dubai British School Jumeirah Park. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Families drop their children off at Bloom World Academy.
Families drop their children off at Bloom World Academy.

“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.

Survival kit for getting a good night’s sleep - in pictures

Courtesy Taschen @ Cities
Courtesy Taschen @ Cities
Courtesy of Zara Home
Courtesy of Zara Home
Courtesy of Virgin Megatore
Courtesy of Virgin Megatore
Courtesy of Comptoir 102
Courtesy of Comptoir 102

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.

Five retreats to help with sleep - in pictures

Courtesy of Health and Fitness Travel.
Courtesy of Health and Fitness Travel.
Courtesy of Health and Fitness Travel.
Courtesy of Health and Fitness Travel.
Courtesy of Health and Fitness Travel.
Courtesy of Health and Fitness Travel.
Courtesy of Health and Fitness Travel.
Courtesy of Health and Fitness Travel.

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.

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

Towering concerns
Afghanistan fixtures
  • v Australia, today
  • v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
  • v New Zealand, Saturday,
  • v South Africa, June 15
  • v England, June 18
  • v India, June 22
  • v Bangladesh, June 24
  • v Pakistan, June 29
  • v West Indies, July 4
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Yabi%20by%20Souqalmal%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMay%202022%2C%20launched%20June%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAmbareen%20Musa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20u%3C%2Fstrong%3Endisclosed%20but%20soon%20to%20be%20announced%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eseed%C2%A0%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EShuaa%20Capital%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Comment on Coronavirus
Aston martin DBX specs

Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 542bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Top speed: 291kph

Price: Dh848,000

On sale: Q2, 2020
 

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Read more
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE central contracts

Full time contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid

Part time contracts

Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma

The Specs

Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E153hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E200Nm%20at%204%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.3L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh106%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More coverage from the Future Forum
Tomorrow 2021
Results:

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 (PA) | Group 1 US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres

Winner: Goshawke, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)

7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) | Listed $250,000 (D) | 1,600m

Winner: Silva, Oisin Murphy, Pia Brendt

7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) | Conditions $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m

Winner: Golden Jaguar, Connor Beasley, Ahmad bin Harmash

8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) | Group 3 $200,000 (D) | 1,200m

Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m

Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Sandeep Jadhav

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m

Winner: Oasis Charm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m

Winner: Escalator, Christopher Hayes, Charlie Fellowes

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sav%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Purvi%20Munot%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%20as%20of%20March%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400bhp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E563Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh320%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
While you're here
On Women's Day
Updated: February 17, 2023, 5:00 AM`
Science