When things begin to heat up is very important to recognize the impact that hot weather can have on sleep, both quantity and quality. In the summer months especially if you do not have AC, you may find yourself tossing and turning, throwing off the sheets, waking multiple times at night, etc. This can be a source of frustration and fatigue.
Obviously, for those of us living in Alaska it’s no secret that we are operating under “unique” circumstances in summer and winter: mainly, lots of light, and lots of darkness. Though it might seem counter intuitive, the amount of excessive darkness, which is significant in the Southeast and oppressive in the Far North, actually makes sleep more difficult for many people.
Living in Alaska poses unique sleeping challenges throughout the year. Other than a few months out of the year between “spring” and “fall” in Alaska, we are dealing with darkness or light that lasts most, or all, of the day.
Alaska is a very large state that covers a lot of ground. It is particularly large from north to south, spanning more than 1300 miles. This large difference creates different light patterns between the south and the north that can make sleeping anywhere in Alaska a challenge. Continue reading to find out more about the transition to Alaskan summers and what you can do to mitigate the associated challenges.
Alaskan winters mean extreme lighting conditions: mostly or entirely dark all day. Despite what you might immediately think, all this darkness is actually not good for sleep for many of us who live in Alaska. Transitioning to Alaska darkness from our summers means making big changes to our lives. Furthermore, there are natural hormonal changes that take place during the long dark winters that further inhibit our ability to get restful sleep.
Alaskan winters pose an extremely unique challenge to our lives and sleep. Our winters mean either receiving mostly or only darkness, depending on where you live. This extreme lighting condition is contrasted against summer, which is the opposite, and entails making fairly drastic changes to our lives – changes which be very disruptive towards sleep.
Alaskan winters mean daily darkness for most or all of the day. The extreme lighting condition of Alaska, especially as you go north, affects our lives in many different and important ways:
When things begin to heat up, it is very important to recognize the impact that hot weather can have on sleep, both quantity and quality. In the summer months, especially if you do not have AC, you may find yourself tossing and turning, throwing off the sheets, waking multiple times at night, etc. This can be a source of frustration and fatigue. Continue reading to learn more about ways to sleep in hot weather.
For those living in Alaska, it’s no secret that we are operating under “unique” circumstances in summer and winter, either a lot of sunlight or a lot of darkness respectively. Though it might seem counter intuitive, the amount of excess darkness, which is significant in the Southeast and oppressive in the Far North, actually makes sleep more difficult for many people.
Why?
The excess darkness is extremely disruptive. It disrupts your ability to get daylight and to be physically active. It can also disrupt your hormone levels. The result: there are many ways for your circadian rhythm to be affected.
Living in Alaska poses unique sleeping challenges most months out of the year. Other than a few months out of the year between “spring” and “fall” in Alaska, we are dealing with darkness that lasts most, or all, of the day, or light that lasts most, or all, of the night.
These extreme light conditions present sleep challenges that are:
These challenges may come from changes in physical or social habits, mental responses to the extreme lighting conditions, or habits that change with the darkness. The two main challenges for people living in Alaska are:
Let’s look at how extreme light in Alaska poses these two risks.