What is Circadian Rhythm?
The circadian rhythm is your body’s natural, internal 24-hour cycle that determines when you sleep and eat, your body temperature, and when crucial hormones are released.
This body clock is mainly regulated by exposure to light and darkness. But eating habits, stress, activity and temperature also play an important role.
So, does winter disrupt the circadian rhythm? The answer is yes.
During the shorter and darker winter days you get less exposure to sunlight, which results in less production of serotonin, your feel-good neurotransmitter, and more production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
This leads to you feeling sluggish and slightly depressed hours before bedtime.
In short: your circadian rhythm depends on a regular routine. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, timing your meals, controlling light exposure and stress is the right thing to do.
Here are 10 ways to recalibrate your circadian rhythm for better hibernation.
1. Your body is still on daylight saving time
Your summer schedule is not well suited for winter. To align with the shorter and darker days of winter, consider going to bed earlier. Adjust your bedtime and wake-up time by 15-30 minutes every day. Also exercise earlier in the day, avoid late dinners and increase your screen time.
2. The morning signal that changes everything
Sunlight is the key to controlling your circadian rhythm. Make sure you get about 15 minutes of sunlight early in the day so your brain knows it’s time to wake up. On cloudy, gray days, use a light therapy box to achieve the same effect.
Limit your screen time about 2 hours before bed and dim the lights in your home to signal the brain that it’s time to wind down.
3. The timing problem that most sleep advice misses
Meal times and metabolism are important factors in well-managed circadian rhythms. Imagine a big clock in the brain and smaller clocks in your digestive organs. While your brain may be resting, digestion keeps the stomach and its friends wide awake and actively working. This causes the two clocks to become misaligned and prevents you from falling asleep.
So, eat your breakfast early after waking up in the morning and avoid late dinners.
4. The ritual that sabotages bedtime
Sleep is determined by the hormone melatonin, which is released by the pineal gland in the brain just before bedtime.
Caffeine disrupts the secretion of melatonin and therefore disrupts the circadian rhythm. Therefore, it is best to keep your coffee rituals a few hours before your bedtime.
On the other hand, drinking matcha, green tea, or chamomile tea can help calm your nerves and relax you before bed.
5. Why winter training needs a new rule
Early morning exercise helps the body wake up and shifts the circadian rhythm earlier. Nighttime exercises have the opposite effect.
In winter, try to exercise in the morning or afternoon. You can also combine this with exposure to the outdoors during the day to feel active.
Create an exercise routine and stick to it. Consistency is more important than intensity in this case. The more you stick to routines, the more your circadian rhythm stays in place.
6. Rethink long winter nights
If you feel depressed during the winter, try to think of the longer nights as ‘me time’ and do something you enjoy. Maybe read a book or draw. Or use the time for spiritual practices such as prayer.
7. The two hours that matter most
Use the last two waking hours to relax. Light candles or lamps and turn off the big white lights. Free your thoughts by journaling and relax by listening to a soothing podcast or meditating.
When you go to bed, try progressive muscle relaxation or breathing exercises to relax and fall asleep.
8. How isolation quietly changes your rhythm
Winter can make you sluggish earlier in the evening than summer, hindering your desire to go outside and interact with someone.
But your interactions with other people act as a secondary circadian signal. Socializing regularly can serve as an additional anchor to your routine. So find activities that you can enjoy with your friends and family in the winter and make time for them.
9. Backfires
In winter, people tend to sleep in during the weekends.
Getting extra sleep during the day can disrupt the circadian rhythm and also make you sleepier during the week. So, maintain the same sleep routine as on weekdays and stay active.
10. What supplements can and cannot do
Consider supplementing your diet with sleep-enhancing agents such as melatonin, magnesium, or the protein precursor L-theanine, but only after discussing it with your doctor.
While these alone can’t reset your circadian rhythm, they can relax the nervous system and ease sleep cues when light cues and routines are disrupted by winter.
Making peace with the slower months
Winter can disrupt the way your body normally functions. shorter days and less exposure to sunlight disrupt the circadian rhythm.
But small signals can make the difference. Getting sunlight early in the day, limiting white light exposure at night, regular meals and stress management will recalibrate your circadian rhythm for better hibernation.
