Sleep during the late autumn and winter Patients have been commenting recently that they have been tireder and sleepier since the time change and since the weather has turned colder.
While we humans are not hibernators, we are affected by amount of sunshine and the temperature. The world was a very different place before the widespread use of electric lights.
At one time, long ago, I spent some time in a small rural Moroccan village which had no electricity. I was amazed at the difference. It was no problem going to sleep soon after the sunset and no problem waking with sunrise.
The availability of reliable lights for the nights is a very recent development and even in central Texas there were areas that did not have electricity until the 1940's and 50's.
While artificial lighting can help us extend our day, it is no substitute for sunshine and can lead to health problems. If we allow the stimulation of electric lights to keep us up late into the night, our biological rhythms can become disordered and cause insomnias and menstrual cycle irregularities.
We are biologically beings and our bodies automatically respond to light and temperature variations.
I do not have the research to prove it but I suspect that even SAD- "seasonal affective disorder" is strongly related to our biological need for more sleep when exposed to less light.
My response is to view my extra fatigue and sleepiness as a part of the natural cycle. I encourage my patients to allow themselves to sleep more so they will be ready to fully respond to the more active energies of the spring and summer seasons. | 
