How will the change of seasons affect your sleep?

In many ways, when we start going into winter, our bodies are changing and becoming more sensitive to weather, with the cold weather having an effect on the kind of sleep that you will be having.

Change of seasons has the following effects:

Light Changes

Even in South Africa, the daylight reduces once we get deeper into the winter months. The changes are nowhere near as drastic as in the Northern European countries, but they are certainly noticeable. Light is very important for your sleep. In order for you to have good quality sleep, you need to get enough sunlight during the day. The daylight has a direct effect on the amount of melatonin that your body produces.

The air gets colder

While we enjoy mild winters, the days can get very cold in parts of the country. Unlike other countries where homes and businesses are set up in such a way that they are temperature self-regulating, we don’t have these kinds of set ups so in the colder areas we rely more on fireplaces, heaters and heavy blankets to keep warm in the winter months.
Most South Africans living in cold areas rely on fireplaces.

Temperature can have a very direct effect on your sleep and it needs to be well regulated. If your home is too hot, you might find that you are not going to be sleeping very well. In general, you are more likely to sleep well when your room is a little bit cooler. Regulating temperature using fireplaces and heaters can be very tricky. Too much heat or cold can drastically affect the quality of your sleep. If the air is too warm, your body can become very much susceptible to the winter illnesses.

Changes in your diet

In winter you are more likely to eat heavier foods, carbohydrate-rich foods that are hearty and warm. While this comfort food might be very much what you are craving, it is not always the kind of food that is going to be right for your sleep needs. When you eat rich foods, filled with fats, you might not slip off into a comfortable sleep. This very rich food can also have an effect on your hormones with the hormone leptin being changed. Once this hormone has been affected, changes in your sleep are sure to follow. Leptin helps with the regulation of hunger, basically, it is the hunger hormone. When your body is producing too much of this hormone there is also the risk of gaining weight.

Eat light

Sure your body is craving all kinds of delicious treats to keep warm during the winter, but if you want to limit the possibility of sleep disruption then you need to limit the size of your meals. Eat lighter meals, earlier in the evening and you are unlikely to suffer from the consequences of bad winter sleep.

Don’t oversleep

Catching a few extra hours when the mornings are dark can be very tempting, but you should really try to rather not oversleep. When you sleep in on the weekends, you can end up damaging your sleep cycle, reducing the quality of your sleep. The result of sleeping in is usually drowsiness and feeling way more tired than you did before you went to bed.

Get enough exercise

With the days being shorter and colder, being outdoors and getting enough exercise can be the last thing that is on your mind. Getting outdoors and exercising will also help you to get enough sunlight which will greatly aid your sleep later on.

Don’t worry about losing sleep

If you worry constantly about losing an hour of sleep, you will feel very tired in the morning. The more you worry about not sleeping, the less likely you are to actually be relaxed enough to sleep.

As the seasons change and the days begin to get a little cooler all throughout the country, your sleep will continue to be a priority for you. Makes sure that you get the most out of your winter by investing in a new bed and making the right decisions for your sleep.

If you are in the market to get as many restful z’s in as you can, visit The Mattress Warehouse at 1 Amanzi Street in Riverside Industrial, or contact them on 013 757 0825.

Visit The Mattress Warehouse online for all their latest information and offerings.