How To Get Out Of Bed When It's Cold - The Sleep Matters Club (2024)

FAQs

How to get out of bed when it's cold? ›

Your melatonin production has changed.

Your body produces the sleep hormone, melatonin, as it gets darker out, setting you up to fall asleep at night. But since you're not exposed to the early morning light in the winter—a cue for the body to stop melatonin secretion—it's harder to wake up in the morning.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 34 percent of U.S. adults say they sleep more in the winter. It's a reflection of adjusted circadian rhythms. “When there is less sunlight, our melatonin levels begin to surge earlier in the evening and stay high for longer in the morning,” says Murray.

Your body produces more melatonin when you see less sunlight, which can make you feel more sleepy than normal. Exposure to cold temperatures has been shown to increase metabolism, requiring us to need sleep and try to increase sustenance intake.

Waking up overheated at night can be due to many factors such as warm bedding or clothes, hot flashes, certain medications, or in some cases, a medical condition. People maintain a fairly consistent body temperature during the day which drops at night by around 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

The reduced sunlight exposure that comes with winter can cause us to become more sluggish and sleepier.

How do I wake myself up ASAP? ›

Can't get out of bed? Whether it's due to a poor night's sleep (hello, night owls), stubborn morning grogginess (i.e., sleep inertia), or dread-induced paralysis, struggling to wake up – while a common issue among individuals with ADHD – is a rough way to start the day… everyday.

Dysania means an extreme difficulty rising from bed or an inability to leave the bed. Dysania is closely associated with clinomania, which is an obsession with or profound desire for staying in bed. These terms are not widely recognized by the medical community. Some professionals use the term clinophilia.

Cooler sleeping conditions have been found to be conducive to deeper, more restorative sleep stages. When your body is in a cooler environment, it can help facilitate the transition into deep sleep and maintain it for longer periods. This is because cooler temperatures promote the release of melatonin.

If you're sleeping a lot when you have a cold, flu, or fever, it's because your body needs the rest. Sleeping more than usual is helping your body build up its immune system and fight off your illness.

Possible underlying reasons include depression and anxiety. Depression is linked to dysania, a nonmedical term for when a person feels the need to stay in bed without sleeping. A wide range of physical conditions can also lead to fatigue, making it hard to get up. They include ME/CFS and long COVID.

Close your bedroom curtains as soon as it gets dark to retain heat. Choose heavier bedding in the winter months. Sleep on mattresses or mattress toppers with wool incorporated to help regulate body temperature. Use a heater in the room in the hour or two before you head to bed.