For many Indians, February doesn’t feel like the smooth ending of winter or the fresh beginning of spring. Instead it often feels strange: tiredness lingers, sleep patterns shift, mood feels “off,” and that usual rhythm of daily life seems harder to maintain. But there’s a reason or several behind this sensation. It’s not just in your head.

Whether you’re waking up groggy, craving sleep during the day, or feeling oddly energetic at night, your body may actually be responding to deeper biological and environmental shifts happening this month.

February Is a Seasonal Crossover and That Confuses Your Internal Clock

The human body runs on something called the circadian rhythm, an internal clock that synchronises sleep, hormones, appetite, and mood with the day-night cycle. When seasons shift, especially between winter and spring, this rhythm gets altered. Research shows that circadian rhythms change with seasonal cues like daylight duration and temperature, meaning your body’s optimal sleep–wake timing shifts across seasons.

During February, daylight gradually increases, but nights are still long. This mismatch between light exposure and internal clocks can leave many people feeling:

• Sleepy at odd times
• Difficult to focus
• Emotionally unbalanced

This shift can feel confusing because the body is still adjusting from the deep slowdown of winter toward a more active spring rhythm.

Light Exposure Is Still Low Affecting Sleep and Mood

One of the biggest reasons February feels odd is insufficient daylight earlier in the day. Light is the main signal that resets our biological clock. When there’s less morning sunshine, the hormone melatonin, often known as the sleep hormone peaks earlier, making you feel drowsy sooner in the day.

At the same time, serotonin, another key brain chemical linked to mood, motivation, and energy depends on sunlight exposure. Reduced production can leave you feeling sluggish, low-mood, or emotionally out of sync. This is similar to winter blues or mild seasonal affective symptoms, where reduced light disrupts both mood and sleep.

Climate Change Is Making February Feel Even More Unpredictable

In many parts of India, especially northern regions, February is no longer a slow transition month. In recent years, meteorological data show that February temperatures now resemble early spring, sometimes even summer-like conditions.

This rapid shift from cold January to warmer February can confuse your body, which is still in winter mode physiologically (conserving heat, slowing metabolism) even as the environment warms up. Your body’s internal signals (hormonal, metabolic and circadian) haven’t fully adjusted, while the weather already has — leading to that “confused feeling.”

Sleep Patterns in February Can Be Disrupted

Scientific studies suggest that seasonal changes have a measurable impact on human sleep behaviour. In winter, people tend to sleep later and wake later, a trend that begins to reverse as spring approaches and daylight increases.

In February, the body simultaneously tries to stay in winter mode (long sleep, delayed wake times) and spring mode (earlier wakefulness driven by increased light). The result?

• You might sleep more but still feel tired
• Your sleep might feel less refreshing
• Afternoon energy dips may feel stronger

This internal tug-of-war makes this month feel “off” compared to both deep winter and settled spring.

Hormonal and Metabolic Toggles Add to the Confusion

Temperature changes, daylight shifts, and circadian changes also affect hormones beyond melatonin. Seasonal shifts influence cortisol (stress hormone), reproductive hormones, and even immune function. For example, colder months are linked with higher stress hormone levels as the body tries to maintain internal temperature stability.

While February begins warming up, these hormonal balances don’t adjust immediately, making your body feel like it’s reacting to two seasons at once another reason February can feel confusing.

Your Mood May Feel Out of Sync Too

Seasonal changes can also affect emotional balance. A span between winter and spring often leads to mild mood swings, decreased motivation, or a vague feeling of disconnection, sometimes mistaken for fatigue, stress, or generalized tiredness.

This mental fog isn’t “just in your head”, it’s a real biological response to shifting environmental cues, hormonal cycles, and disrupted circadian patterns.

So if you’ve felt tired during the day, wide awake at night, or emotionally “off” this February, your body is essentially trying to resynchronise itself after winter and ahead of spring. It’s adjusting to changing sunlight, temperature patterns, and internal rhythms that don’t always move in perfect sync with the weather.

Understanding this can ease frustration and help you align your routines, through sunlight exposure, early morning activity, consistent sleep schedules, and mindful nutrition to better support your body during this transition.