Background information
Interview with a chronobiologist: how do our internal clocks work?
by Anna Sandner
How the season affects your sleep
8.6.2023
Translation: machine translated
We all sleep - but not the same amount in every season. This has now been discovered by a Berlin research team and shows that In a way, there is a human hibernation.
Bedtime. The light from the neighbour's house and the street lamp opposite shine unerringly into my bedroom window every night. Bright. Unmissable. Penetrating. So the first new purchase after I moved in was blackout curtains. Sound familiar to you? Then you probably also live in a city - with numerous artificial light sources in a small space that can disturb your sleep.
When it comes to the internal sleep clock, however, one factor is primarily responsible: the time of year. Researchers from Charité Berlin have found this out in a study.
Around one hour more sleep in the cold season
The research team studied 292 patients from an urban environment for a year. Their sleep behaviour was analysed several nights a month in familiar surroundings. The result: the dream phase, also known as the REM phase, lasts around 30 minutes longer in winter than in summer. And total sleep also lasts longer in the dark season - around one hour.
The conclusion is therefore that sleep is "influenced by seasonal changes, even in an urban environment with low natural light exposure and high light pollution", according to the Charité study report.
Science had previously underestimated the influence of the seasons and their long-term effects. It was assumed that these were cancelled out - especially in large cities - by unrestricted access to light and temperature sources. Instead, the sleep rhythm of people in urban environments continues to be controlled by their millennia-old internal clock.
Find out even more exciting facts about the internal sleep clock in Anna Sandner's interview with chronobiologist Prof Dr Henrik Oster.
Ready for hibernation?
Whether it's winter or summer: you're sure to find the right duvet in our shop. The Blackroll Recovery Blanket, for example, is an ultra-light summer blanket. It can be washed at 60 degrees and is suitable for tumble drying and allergy sufferers. The winter blanket from La Redoute Interieurs, on the other hand, is advertised as extra warm. By the way, you don't have to feel guilty: It reaches its warmth level five without a single down or feather.
Cover image: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels
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