So, my partner and I have added a big faux fur blanket to the bed that's like sleeping on a cloud that became sentient and capable of giving hugs. It's warm without being smothering, and might be one of our greatest domestic grown-up purchases, but by crikey it makes getting out of bed on a cold morning a tough negotiation.
As the morning's start to turn chilly again after last week's freak hailstorm, it seems to be getting harder and harder to get two feet on the floor in the morning - and more and more inviting just pull the blankets up and keep cosy.
More than once this week, I've tried to convince my better half that I've contracted some kind of debilitating, but mysteriously difficult to diagnose, disease that insists we sleep in.
(Leprosy was way too serious, by the way, and the common cold wasn't serious enough, so I'm reading WebMD nightly for tomorrow's diagnosis. Suggestions, as always, are gratefully accepted).
Maybe, I'm just not a morning person? (he writes, simultaneously Googling the efficacy of coffee delivered via intravenous drip).
Some people are morning people, and all power to them, I say. Some people are nighthawks - and surely we can't all work the morning shift.
(Incidentally, the Germans have the objectively excellent term morgenmuffel to describe that one person we all know who doesn't really start to function until mid-morning and only then with copious amounts of caffeine).
Why do we want to sleep-in in winter?
This is, at least, what I was thinking until I stumbled across a slew of research showing that it is objectively more difficult to get out of bed in winter.
It turns out that there are a whole bunch of scientific reasons why the morning routine gets just a little bit harder in the cooler months.
For starters, our circadian rhythms take some time to adjust to the shorter days.
Biologically, we're somewhat programmed to rise with the sun, but in winter there's just less of it leading to a natural inclination to stay in bed.
Our bodies also tend to produce more of the sleep hormone, melatonin, in the winter moths - the receptors for the production of which are typically shut down by exposure to daylight - which is fewer and further between.
At the most extreme levels, the gradual change in the season can even trigger a 'seasonal affective disorder' (literally, winter SAD) - a kind of culmination of winter blues, mixed with a disruption to certain neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for producing serotonin (the happy hormone).
If this isn't helping you write that sick note for work tomorrow already, there's also some speculation that the heartier foods we tend to eat in winter can also play a part in how lively we are in the mornings.
How to boost your morning energy in winter
So, what do we do with all this science?
Well, I asked my better half and she said it's still my turn to make coffee in the morning, so staying in bed doesn't seem like a viable option.
The science, however, suggests getting lots of light in the morning to help shake off that melatonin production and boost some Vitamin D and serotonin.
Skipping the Snooze button is a good idea, too; those restless extra 15 minutes of sleep do more harm than good when you're trying to wake up.
A morning workout routine can help get your energy levels up and staying hydrated can also help stimulate your system.
Failing all that, I'm still waiting to hear back from the patent office on the Coffee I.V.
I'm sure they'll be in contact soon.
And now for something different ...
Stuart Moppet from Adamstown made a rare discovery during last week's wild hailstorm that battered parts of the city.
This unusually shaped hail stone appears like a four-pointed star. Hail is formed when raindrops are hurled upwards to colder air by updrafts in the storm - it appears this one had a bit of spin on it.
Things to do in Newcastle & the Hunter
Comedy double-act, the Umbilical Brothers, will play the Civic Theatre on Saturday night with their new show titled The Distraction.
The performance takes place simultaneously on stage and on the big screen for an act billed as being like nothing seen before.
Tickets run at $55 and are available online.
Topics of correspondence
Graeme Bennett writes in after this week's (unofficial) Newy Burger review (Topics 30/5) to recommend Cardiff as the home of the city's best burger.
"Try Good Tucker Bakery," writes Mr Bennett, "Order a Works Burger, you won't be disappointed. A good idea is to have an empty stomach before purchasing."
Thanks Graeme, it's added to the list!
Simon McCarthy writes Topics daily for the Newcastle Herald. Contact the writer by email at topics@newcastleherald.com.au or join the discussion in the comment section below.
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