Have you ever wondered why you feel more tired, stiff and low in energy during winter? It’s not just the weather — there’s real biology behind it. When you understand why, you can accept and work with the benefits this season bring. Allowing you to naturally boost your energy, your mood and your immunity and helping you to navigate winter with more ease and comfort
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Why Winter Makes You Feel Tired:
Warm Up & Slow Down: Aligning with Winter’s Natural Rhythm
Hi lovely! Have you ever wondered why winter makes you crave cosy blankets, hearty comfort food, and extra downtime? There’s a fascinating science behind it — and knowing it helps you work with winter, not against it.
Hi, I’m Alexis Weidland, osteopath and co-founder of Blossoming Me and Healthy Learning Lounge. And today I’d like to discuss why we feel so down through winter…
Why does this happen?
✅ Less sunlight:
Your body needs UV rays to produce vitamin D. In winter, UV can drop by 80% or more. Low vitamin D reduces energy production in your cells and lowers serotonin — your feel-good neurotransmitter. Studies link this to seasonal low mood and sluggish immunity.
✅ Circadian rhythm disruption:
Your body clock is guided by daylight. Shorter days and dark mornings keep melatonin levels high — that’s your sleep hormone. This means you feel groggy in the morning and might struggle to sleep well at night, creating a tired cycle. And we might struggle to sleep well at night, creating this tired cycle.
✅ Cold and circulation:
Cold air narrows your blood vessels (vasoconstriction). This slows nutrient delivery to muscles and tissues. And less circulation means less oxygenation, tighter muscles, colder hands, and feet. And more energy just to keep our core temperature warm.
✅ Indoor life and air:
We’re often indoors with different light and air. When we spend more time inside with stale, heated air, this can dry out our nasal passages. And that will lower our body’s first line of defense against winter bugs.
✅Sugar and carb cravings:
When your energy dips, your body naturally wants quick fuel — so cravings for sweets and stodgy comfort foods spike. But too much sugar messes with your energy crash-rebound cycle, worsening fatigue.
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Winter is also a beautiful time to look inward. Just like nature rests, you get to reflect, let go of outdated habits, and replenish your mind and body
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So, here are 7 things you can do to boost immunity, support mobility & comfort, and aid your mood and energy levels:
1️⃣ Morning sunlight ritual:
Within an hour of waking up, get 10 minutes of outdoor sunlight on your eyes. No need for glasses, but it can be good to have your eyes closed. This switches off melatonin and boosts serotonin to set our sleep clock. Getting outside early can help us to anchor our sleep cycle, lifts our mood, and with an added bonus of providing fresh oxygenation to our cells.
2️⃣ Gentle warm-up:
Gentle stretching and movement keep circulation flowing – you could spend just 5 minutes rolling shoulders, twisting your torso and doing side stretches, rising onto your toes and bending forwards. This pumps fresh blood to stiff muscles, and gets your ligaments and joints mobile and lubricated so that injury and/or pain are less likely, and it helps your ribs and lungs expand properly, so that you can breathe deeper and feel warmer.
3️⃣Comfort your body with nourishment:
Enjoy hearty soups and rich broths. These are both rich in vitamins and minerals, and these beautiful comfort foods can also be so healing.
4️⃣Warm hydration:
Drinking herbal teas instead of cold drinks can help our body to reduce the energy required to absorb the water that you drink, keeping you better hydrated. My favorite is Ginger with brown sugar. This is a classic Eastern remedy to help with warming, digestion, and easing that runny nose
5️⃣Evening wind-down:
Dim the lights, light a candle, sip something warm, and take 5 slow belly breaths. This lowers cortisol and helps your body prepare for deep sleep, so you wake up with more energy.
6️⃣ Add omega-3 rich foods:
Add omega rich foods like salmon and walnuts or other nuts. This helps to reduce inflammation that winter chills can sort of increase. It helps your cellular energy production to be more efficient and it keeps your joints more mobile and comfortable
7️⃣ Reflection:
Use this season to gently let go of what no longer serves you. Beliefs. Stress. Habits. Even old stories that drain your energy. Winter slows life down. It’s an ancient survival rhythm. People will naturally do less, rest more. So make use of it. Curl up with a good book by the fire, and use the season to reflect and to recharge.
Use winter’s slow pace to journal. Notice old stress patterns or habits, and consciously allow yourself to let go. Just like trees shed their leaves.
So…
When you understand what winter does for your body, you can work with it instead of against it. Small daily habits can restore our warmth, our energy, and our immunity naturally.
Winter invites rest and introspection, but it doesn’t have to Steal your vitality. Enjoy warm food, soft blankets and introspection. Plus add mindful habits. These help you to stay calm and energized. Small shifts make winter feel more nourishing instead of tiring and draining.
Would you like some help?
My Winter Wellness Kit includes recipes, my daily warm-up & breathwork video, and a simple tracker — all for just $7. It’s your cosy survival pack for the season.
Click below to get yours and stay cosy and energised this winter!
Interested in further reading?
Book appointment here
(pick Turramurra location; osteopath; select Alexis as practitioner, then choose our special Foot and Posture Assessment)
About Blossoming Me
BlossomingMe offers a fully integrated approach to your wellbeing. Located on Sydney’s Upper North Shore. Sarah is our Cranio-sacral and Remedial Massage Therapist and health and lifestyle coach. She can help relieve those problematic knots, tightness and other specific ailments to promote a healthy recovery. These complementary massage therapies can be combined to suit your needs, and include: craniosacral therapy, shiatsu, acupressure, reiki, remedial, swedish, and body-mind-massage.
Our qualified Osteopath, Alexis, offers a drug free, minimally invasive, “hands on” treatment focusing on the musculoskeletal system with its associated muscles, tendons, ligaments, membranes, bones and joints. Alexis takes a functional approach. This means that she focuses on the way a component (body part, tissue or group of tissues) performs its role, as well as the way the body works, performs and integrates as a whole. Our team can support you to improve your posture and therefore your overall health.