Does winter affect our sleep patterns? Study explains how

Does the cold weather affect our sleep patterns? According to the finds of a recent study, people fall asleep late at night and wake up late in the morning in winter. Researchers at the University of Washington measured the sleep patterns of the students on the campus and found that going outside during the day is connected to your sleep.  

As per Horacio de la Iglesia, senior author of the study, even though our bodies have a natural circadian rhythm that signals us when we should go to sleep. And if our body does not get enough sunlight during the day, our natural circadian rhythm gets delayed and it pushes our sleep time. 

Researchers measured the sleep pattern of light exposure on 507 college undergraduate students from 2015 to 2018. They found that although the amount of sleep they were getting each night was roughly the same regardless of the season during winter, the students were going to bed nearly 35 minutes late and woke up 27 minutes late the next morning. 

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Researchers observed that the students' bodily process of physical, mental and behavioural changes in a 24 hour cycle were delayed by 40 minutes in winters compared to summers.