If you’re anything like us, you’re looking at the calendar in anticipation of the season officially switching from summer to autumn (even though Starbucks has already declared it PSL season). Despite it nearly being time to bust out the chunky sweaters and cozy slippers, with the autumn season comes the potential for sleep disturbances. Instead of lamenting lackluster days thanks to sleepless nights, keep reading to better adapt to the changing seasons. 

Get Your Vitamin D

As we move away from the summer season, expect your days to get shorter and your nights to get longer. While this may not seem like a bad thing considering dark environments and cooler temperatures are conducive to sleep, the sudden change can negatively impact your body’s circadian rhythm. 

When exposed to darkness, melatonin production is triggered. However, when darkness comes earlier than usual, this can disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm and effectively make you feel more tired and sluggish earlier in the day. 

One way to combat this midday bout of sluggishness is to be sure to expose yourself to natural light early on in the day. Sunlight ceases melatonin production, so getting yourself out in the morning can stave off feelings of sleepiness for longer bouts than staying inside with dim lighting. Light exposure also triggers serotonin production, the feel-good hormone, which works in tandem with melatonin. More serotonin can lead to more melatonin production in the evening, making it easier to maintain a consistent sleep schedule.

Look After Your Mental Health

It may be easier said than done, but taking your mental health into consideration as the seasons move away from the heat of summer into the cooler temperatures of autumn and winter is of paramount importance. Even though the fall season is heavily romanticized (especially on social media), it can prove to be a difficult time for many of us. 

Approximately 5% of US adults experience a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) that is most prevalent in the late fall and early winter seasons. SAD is a type of depression that is triggered by recurring seasonal patterns and can differ from a winter-pattern to a summer-pattern. Symptoms of SAD include, but are not limited to: permanent feels of sadness, anxiety, or emptiness nearly every day for at least a period of two weeks, loss of interest in hobbies, decreased energy and fatigue, difficulty concentrating and recollection of events, negative changes in sleep patterns, and thoughts of death and suicide.

While symptoms of SAD can easily be chalked up to the “winter blues” by those unfamiliar with the condition, it does need to be treated with sensitivity and care - and that includes how you treat yourself as well. 

Your mental health is intrinsically linked to your physical health, and looking after one will help you look after the other that much better. Journaling can be one method of exploring your thoughts and feelings in a constructive way, and there are simple ways to start even if you’ve never taken to it in the past. 

Counseling can be another instrumental factor in combating symptoms of SAD as a trained professional can help in teaching new ways of thinking as well as identifying behaviors that can contribute to symptoms of depression. 

Enjoy the Season

Whether it be because of pumpkin-flavored, well, everything or the cold front coming in after a hot summer, fall is a season that many find themselves looking forward to. Now’s the time to bust out the Pinterest boards to find the perfect recipes, outfits, and movies to celebrate the season to its fullest. 

Allow yourself the chance to get cozy during one of the coziest times of year. Even if the weather outside is still saying summer, the “-ber” months are officially upon us and it’s socially acceptable to start celebrating fall. If you find yourself in a climate that is refusing to let go of the summer heat, then close the blind and crank your fans and AC until you’re able to snuggle up in your coziest fall digs. 

Even though it’s only the very beginning of the season, it’s never too early to start getting your plans in place. Send a text to a friend or loved one to make plans to go to the pumpkin patch, or look ahead to projected weather forecasts to plan an autumn hike to enjoy the changing foliage without the intense heat. So long as you find joy in what you’re doing, you can consider it a season well spent. 

Key Takeaways 

The fall season is something to look forward to for a lot of us, but for some of us too it comes with the disadvantages of sleep disturbances and even conditions such as SAD. Looking after your mental and physical health can help alleviate some of the more unsavory aspects of the seasons changing. Even if you find yourself lamenting the end of summer, there are still things to look forward to in the autumn season. Whether it be the ability to wear your favorite sweater once again or an excuse to stay inside cozied up with a good book, there is something for everyone with each new season. From a team of sleepy girls to another, take care of yourself this season and enjoy what this new season may bring.