Are humans meant to sleep more in winter?

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asked Aug 15, 2022 in Weather by notmontimes (780 points)
Are humans meant to sleep more in winter?

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answered Sep 1, 2022 by femealeofinternets (19,590 points)
Humans are meant to sleep more in the winter and during the winter months most people feel more tired and it becomes hard to get out of bed.

During the winter we're supposed to sleep more instead of being up and about but people still have to work and do things so we don't sleep as much as we should in the winter.

Humans sleeping more in winter is mainly due to the reduction in daylight hours in the wintertime, which affects people's internal circadian clocks and makes them want to sleep more.

When you can't sleep without noise it's called insomnia.

Insomnia is when you can't sleep or sleep good with noise or without noise.

For some people it's better to sleep in silence and for other people it's better to sleep with noise.

It's all a personal thing as to whether noise or silence is best for sleeping as some people need some white noise or pink noise to sleep better and others may only sleep good in complete silence.

For me I need to have white noise or pink noise going all night to sleep while complete silence keeps me awake at night.

It is OK to have white noise on all night.

Having white noise on all night can help you stay asleep so that you get a restful nights sleep.

I leave white noise on all night on my computer through YouTube and it plays all night and I sleep much better as a result of the white noise.

Leaving white noise on all night is OK and can help you sleep and stay asleep.

If you need white noise to sleep then it's perfectly fine to let the white noise play all night to help you get a restful nights sleep.

I leave white noise on all night myself and it helps me sleep much better.

To shut your brain down to sleep you should start by getting into a bedtime routine which helps your brain know when it's time to fall asleep.

Start by going to bed and winding down at the same time each night.

About 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime shut off the TV, electronics etc and try reading a good book.

If you still can't get to sleep then try taking some melatonin supplements which is a hormone that your body needs to help your brain shut down for sleep.

In some cases you may need to take some sleeping pills as well.

Also try ridding your mind of any worries and bad thoughts and try focusing on good thoughts.

Do breathing exercises as well to help you relax.

Older adults are more likely to take naps during the daytime due to age-related changes in circadian rhythms and sleep patterns.

The age at which you start needing less sleep is 20 years of age.

When you're first born you need lots of sleep and as you get older and older you need less sleep.

Newborns can sleep as much as 14 hours to 17 hours which is a lot but the newborns need that amount of sleep.

As the newborn grows they start needing less sleep.

As you age your body produces lower levels of growth hormone, so you'll likely experience a decrease in slow wave or deep sleep (an especially refreshing part of the sleep cycle).

When this happens you produce less melatonin, meaning you'll often experience more fragmented sleep and wake up more often during the night.

For adults the recommended number of hours is 7 to 9 hours, with 6 hours or 10 hours of sleep deemed appropriate on either side. It is not a good idea to get 6 hours or less of sleep

Sometimes life calls and we don't get enough sleep.

But five hours of sleep out of a 24-hour day isn't enough, especially in the long term.

According to a 2018 study of more than 10,000 people, the body's ability to function declines if sleep isn't in the seven- to eight-hour range.

Contrary to our quiet physical state, the brain is very active during sleep, carrying out many important functions.

Sleep is essential to every process in the body, affecting our physical and mental functioning the next day, our ability to fight disease and develop immunity, and our metabolism and chronic disease risk.

A number of chronic health conditions may be affected by not getting enough sleep on a regular basis.

These include high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure, coronary heart disease and some cancers.

You may also be more likely to have a stroke. You're at greater risk of injury.

An insomniac is someone who experiences insomnia the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep for an adequate amount of time.

Insomnia is often used casually to refer to occasional sleeplessness or a single instance of it.

Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which you have trouble falling and/or staying

The condition can be short-term (acute) or can last a long time (chronic).

It may also come and go.

Acute insomnia lasts from 1 night to a few weeks.

Insomnia is chronic when it happens at least 3 nights a week for 3 months or more.

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