I don’t know about you, but now that it’s winter, getting out of bed when it’s cold and dark has been seriously messing with my vibe.

As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, you’d think getting to sleep at night would be easier, but that’s not always the case.

Morning light stimulates our bodies to feel awake, and artificial light does the same thing. This is a problem because, in winter, we tend to come home to a darkish house and immediately put on all of the lights.

At that point, your body thinks it’s time to wake up instead of starting the winding down process.

So what can you do about it, short of walking around in the dark before bed?

The experts at Sleep Renewal laid out some steps to take to maximise sleep and up energy levels during winter.

Step 1: Be aware of how light can affect your sleep pattern

Make a point of turning off the main lights around you and turning on a few lamps before bedtime. Also, if you have a dimmer switch, be sure to use it.

Next, ban all electronics from your bedroom. Even the light from a digital alarm clock should be turned away from you. Your body needs to learn that dimming means drowsiness and darkness means sleep.

Step 2: Turn down the heat

In winter we’re tempted to pile on the blankets and layers, before we crank up the heaters and turn on the electric blankets.

While it’s a good idea to stay warm, overdoing it could mess with your sleep.

When you fall asleep, your body temperature starts to drop a few degrees. Researchers believe that this subtle temperature drop allows your body to divert some of the energy it uses to maintain your waking temperature to better power the important reparative tasks it performs at night.

If you’re bundled up in too many layers or have a heater set to blast, you’re not going to experience the slight temperature drop that signals sleep.

So don’t go overboard with the blanket – you want to be comfortable, not at boiling point.

Step 3: Avoid those wintery comfort foods

The lack of sunlight in winter causes you to crave all things stodgy and sweet.

You need sun exposure to naturally manufacture vitamin D that, in turn, boosts your serotonin levels. If your vitamin D levels are low, this means low serotonin, and that’s a major driving force behind carb and sugar cravings.

Too much sugar before bed causes you to experience ‘arousals’ – little disruptions that only wake you up a little bit, but enough to disrupt the natural processes that should be happening when you sleep.

So this winter, if you’re struggling to sleep or are waking up feeling tired, try and implement the above solutions.

If you really can’t sleep, best make an appointment with one of the experts at Sleep Renewal.

They’ll help you get more of the restorative sleep that you need to wake up feeling great, regardless of the season.

Night night.