Why people gain weight in winters!
Winter is a hard season to like: You are cold, low on spirits and if you work a regular schedule, you probably feel like you haven’t seen the sunlight in months.
Most of the times we notice, due to extreme winters, one is not able to button his trousers, feeling the chill. Our sweaters simply denies to go across our belly.
So you need to blame winter for your growing gut.
Following are some reasons why people are likely to gain weight in winters:
- We're preparing for 'hibernation'
One’s constant avoidance of social events (preferring to stay at home) is proof that most of us hibernate like bears in our cozy beds and homes during winter. This automatic tendency to hibernate or 'hide' from the cold is one possible reason why we can gain weight in winter.
We tend to consume approximately 200 additional calories per day as the sun starts to set sooner.
- We are producing more of the 'sleep' hormones
Much to our surprise, the days are much shorter in winter, meaning there is less sunlight and heat to enjoy. This lack of sunlight sometimes affect our hormones, particularly our sleep hormones and some people may develop seasonal affective disorder.
When we are experiencing less daylight, our pineal glands respond to the lack of sunshine by producing melatonin, the sleep hormone that can make us feel sleepy.
Such feeling of sleepiness, especially when it is not actually time to sleep is likely to result in a lack of energy and motivation. The higher melatonin levels tend to increase appetite.
The hormone melatonin, which controls our sleep-wake cycle, is also believed to be increased during winter and is tied to heightened appetite. Due to this we may find ourselves eating more and moving less during the cooler months, which if poorly controlled, can lead to weight gain.
- We're less likely to exercise
It goes without saying that we all feel much less motivated to go to the gym in winter. With shorter daylight and colder weather we are more likely to make excuses for not hitting the gym or going outside for our usual activities.
Now that we know why we can gain winter weight, with spring upon us, many are looking to return to their pre-winter fitness and shape.