Via Katherine May’s Substack: https://katherinemay.substack.com/p/the-art-of-hibernation
May is also the mind behind the great book, Wintering
Humans, of course, do not actually hibernate; the only primate to do that is the fat-tailed dwarf lemur, which lives in Madagascar. But we do know that our bodies respond to colder weather and darker conditions in a variety of ways, including a thickening of the blood and an increase in body fat; some anthropologists think that prehistoric humans may have hibernated through the harshest months. Our contemporary tendency is to fight hard against our hibernal instincts, and to maintain the same, relentless activity levels the whole year through. We can barely imagine what our bodies would do if we let them. But if we look to nature – including our own biology – we can pick up some cues for a more restful winter.
May’s Five Suggestions for dealing with the winter burnout:
Abandon Clock Time (seriously, how is it dark at 4 PM already?)
Embrace The Watch – or however else your sleeping pattern changes.
- Some historians note that our ancestors had two sleep phases for some nights.
Denning. Couch, blankets, books, check.
Make And Mend. Loads of stuff getting done around the house.
Think differently.