Always tired? Hibernate to happiness

HEALTH New research says humans should sleep more than we do during the cold months, reports Sarah Rainey

- Sarah Rainey

OF all the months in the year I’d like to sleep through, February is top of the list. Sure, it might be getting brighter out there, but as the cold, gloomy days linger on, spring is still very much un-sprung. The good news? It’s not just laziness making us want to hunker down and hibernate. According to scientists, humans actually need more sleep in the winter months. From November to March, experts say, we should be going to bed earlier or starting work later, to compensate for our tired bodies’ need to rest and recharge.

The eye-opening finding comes from a new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, which measured the sleep of 292 patients. Subjects slumbered for 43 minutes longer on average in the winter than the summer, and spent an extra 15 minutes in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the stage during which we dream, process emotions and form memories. It’s the first time human sleep habits have been directly linked to the seasons — and comes as a relief to those of us who seem to feel low in energy during the darker months.