Why we want to sleep more in winter

It's dark and cold outside, maybe drizzling – and suddenly even getting up feels like an Olympic event. If you're often tired in winter, want to sleep in longer, or reach for a blanket again in the afternoon, that's not a sign of laziness. It's quite likely: Your body is doing exactly what it has learned to do over millennia.

Because while we humans often try to function the same way all year round, light, temperature, and our daily rhythm change drastically in winter. Our brain reacts to this with finely tuned biology: more melatonin, less activation, a stronger need for rest. In short: a modern “hibernation feeling”.

But what's really behind it? And how can we deal with it so that we don't get lost in "snooze" mode for months on end?

Let's delve into the biology of winter sleep together.

Table of contents

1. Why we want to sleep more in winter
2. How lack of light disrupts our biorhythm
3. 5 typical winter sleep phenomena
4. What we can learn from this for our everyday lives

5. Conclusion

1. Why we want to sleep more in winter

Winter changes the world – and with it, our bodies. Two things are immediately triggered biologically:

1) Less daylight = more melatonin

Melatonin is our "darkness hormone." As soon as it gets dark, its levels rise and make us sleepy. In summer, its release is inhibited by long, bright evenings.
It's different in winter: It gets dark earlier, and it stays dark longer in the morning. This results in a longer and stronger release of melatonin.

Result:

• earlier tired in the evening

• harder to get out of bed in the morning

• more urge to nap during the day

2) Evolutionarily sensible energy-saving mode

In nature, winter means:

• less food

• more cold

• fewer activities

Our bodies still react to this day as if we had to save energyLess activity and more sleep were once vital for survival. Today, it's a biological echo that feels like "I could sleep all day."

3) Temperature affects sleep drive

Cold in the evening signals to the body: Time to wind down.
Sleep is initiated by a slight drop in core body temperature. In winter, this drop often happens more quickly – especially if we are less active in the evening.

2. How lack of light disrupts our biorhythm

Our sleep-wake system is controlled by an internal clock in the brain – and this is primarily based on Light.

What happens in winter:

• Too little light in the morning: The internal clock starts later → we feel like we're "jet-lagged".

• Too little light in the evenings: Tiredness sets in earlier → we end up on the sofa sooner.

Many people therefore experience a kind of Winter social jetlag:
They sleep longer, wake up later, shift their rhythm – and still have to function early.

Typical consequence:

• Weekends are spent sleeping extremely late

• On Mondays it feels like after a time change.

• The fatigue persists throughout the week.

3. Five typical winter sleep phenomena

Here are five things that occur particularly frequently in winter – and why.

1. “I suddenly need 1-2 hours more sleep”

That's normal.
More melatonin + more energy-saving mode = higher sleep pressure.
Many people actually need it in winter. More sleep for the same level of rest.

Learning effect:
When your body is calling for more sleep, that's often a legitimate signal.

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2. I can't get going at all in the mornings.

Dark mornings slow down your cortisol start. Cortisol is the activation hormone that wakes you up.
In the absence of light, the cortisol increase is less pronounced.

Learning effect:
The body is not "broken" – it just hasn't received a starting signal.

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3. Afternoon "winter lull" between 2 pm and 4 pm

When it gets dark early outside, the brain receives an "evening signal", even though the day is still going on.

Learning effect:
The low point is biological – not a lack of discipline.

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4. Mood drops, sleep becomes more difficult (SAD-light)

In some people, the winter effect is more pronounced: less light means less serotonin activation during the day and more melatonin in the evening.
This can Motivation and mood dampen.

Learning effect:
Sleep and mood are more closely linked in winter than in summer.

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5. We sleep longer, but not always better.

Winter also means:

• more heated air

• drier rooms

• less movement

• heavier food

• more screen time in the dark

Sleep can do all of that. fragment, even though you lie in bed for longer.

Learning effect:
More time in bed ≠ automatically better regeneration.

4. What we can learn from this for our everyday lives

Four clear strategies can be derived from this winter biology:

1. Light is the most important lever for winter sleep.

You need it as early in the morning as possible. lots of light:

• Daylight walk

• Window seat at breakfast

• Bright lamps if necessary

➡ Light in the morning shortens the melatonin phase and stabilizes your internal clock.

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2. Take your sleep needs seriously – but keep to a rhythm

More sleep is okay.
But try to prevent wake-up times from drifting completely, otherwise the social jetlag will worsen.

➡ Better: Sleep 30-60 minutes longer than 3 hours of "winter coma" on the weekend.

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3. Use heat cleverly

A warm body does not automatically mean better sleep – Too much heat is actually a problem.

It is helpful to know:

• get warm before sleep (bath, tea, foot warmer)

• sleep cool while the night

➡ The drop in temperature after warming up helps with falling asleep.

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4.Exercise helps combat winter fatigue

Not because you "have to do sports," but because movement

• Daylight brings

• Serotonin activates

• Deep sleep promotes

➡ Especially good: fresh air + daylight instead of just indoor gym.

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5. Conclusion

• In winter, a greater need for sleep is normal: less daylight prolongs the melatonin phase and increases sleep pressure.

• Dark mornings shift our internal clock and make waking up more difficult – a “mini-jetlag” without travel.

• Due to evolutionary factors, the body goes into an energy-saving mode, which feels like hibernation.

• Winter fatigue can be well balanced with morning light, a stable rhythm, a cool sleeping environment and some exercise.