How to harness winter for deeper rest

Winter is the season that most closely resembles what our bodies have been designed for, at least at night. Before artificial light disrupted the human relationship with darkness, people slept longer in winter, following the sun’s early retreat with an earlier move toward sleep and a more extended period of rest. Modern life has largely erased this seasonal rhythm, but the biology that underpinned it remains very much alive in our bodies.

Melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep, is produced in response to darkness. In winter, with earlier sunsets and longer nights, our bodies naturally produce melatonin earlier in the evening — a signal that we are, by design, meant to move toward sleep sooner. Many people notice they feel genuinely sleepy earlier in winter and dismiss it as laziness. It’s not. It’s biology.

Working with this rhythm rather than against it offers significant benefits. Earlier sleep allows for more time in the deep, slow-wave sleep stages that are most restorative for the immune system, brain function, and emotional regulation. If life permits, going to bed even 30 to 60 minutes earlier in winter and allowing yourself to wake naturally can meaningfully improve the quality of your rest.

To support this, create a sleeping environment that works with the season. A cool, dark, quiet room is the ideal sleeping environment at any time of year. Keep the bedroom temperature around 18°C, block light with good curtains, and leave the phone outside. A hot water bottle at the foot of the bed, a magnesium supplement before sleep, and a consistent bedtime ritual all help the nervous system shift more easily into rest.

The season is already doing half the work. Let it.