{"id":26482,"date":"2021-09-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.saatva.com\/fall-sleep-problems\/"},"modified":"2023-10-05T13:31:46","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T13:31:46","slug":"fall-sleep-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saatva.com\/blog\/fall-sleep-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Fall Sleep Problems and How to Fix Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Autumn means dramatic color, melancholy love songs, and fond farewells to the outdoor fun of summertime. In theory, its cool nighttime temperatures and earlier darkness should support your sleep. But in reality, shrinking daylight hours and the hormonal changes it causes in your body can affect both your sleep and<\/em> waking hours. It can also affect your mood and energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the problems that can affect your sleeping during the fall and advice for dealing with them so you can sleep soundly all season long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Less daylight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The shorter daylight time in the fall, especially after the end of Daylight Saving Time<\/a> (DST), means your body starts to prepare you for sleep earlier than usual. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Given that light comes later and later every day, this means we tend to sleep longer and heavier, as it takes our melatonin levels longer to drop each night,” says family practice physician Peter Bailey<\/a>, MD. “Assuming you get up at the same time every day for work or school, this can have the effect of making us feel sleepy or groggy each morning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shifts in our circadian rhythm can \u201cput us out of balance during the cold months,\u201d says psychologist Shagoon Maurya, founder of ursafespace.com<\/a>. The shorter days and longer nights can create a disconnect between our body\u2019s earlier production of melatonin and our actual sleep and wake times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis misalignment is the cause of the depression, overeating, sluggishness, and other symptoms many people experience every winter,\u201d says Maurya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing you can do to prevent the end of DST from wrecking your sleep? Try taking a short nap (30 minutes or less) pre- and post-time change to restore lost sleep. Maintaining your regular exercise routine and a healthy diet can also go a long way toward improving your sleep quality and keeping your sleep cycle on track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fatigue and depression<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Less sunlight means your body produces less Vitamin D. Besides keeping your bones and muscles strong, Vitamin D also affects the production of serotonin, the \u201chappy hormone.\u201d Lowered serotonin can contribute to feeling tired and depressed\u2014symptoms that may mean you have Seasonal Affective Disorder<\/a> (SAD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SAD is a type of depression brought on by a lack of sunlight. Although it’s typically associated with winter, SAD’s symptoms can begin in the fall. (SAD can also occur in the summer, although less frequently.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms of SAD<\/a> include low energy, hypersomnia (excessive daytime sleepiness or excessive time spent sleeping), increased appetite, and social withdrawal (you feel like \u201chibernating”).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur mental health is strongly tied to the quality of sleep we get at night,\u201d says Bailey, \u201cand suffering from SAD can have significant negative effects on our mental outlook.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He points out that light therapy is one of the best ways to mitigate the effects of SAD. \u201cSimple $20 lights off Amazon<\/a> can provide a major boost to mental outlook,\u201d he says, \u201callowing for the release of melatonin and easing you into sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maurya also offers several other suggestions for dealing with SAD: <\/p>\n\n\n\n