Your body knows it's autumn: 5 ways to work with the seasonal shift

Have you noticed that autumn seems to arrive before you’re quite ready for it?

One minute you’re eating dinner outside in the sunshine, staying up late because it’s still light at 9pm, and reaching for a salad without a second thought. Then suddenly, there’s a nip in the morning air, the evenings are drawing in, and you find yourself craving a bowl of something warm and comforting.

You might even notice that you’re feeling a little different too. Perhaps you’re ready for bed earlier. Maybe your energy has shifted, you’re craving different foods, or you have a sudden urge to get the blankets out and hibernate on the sofa.

You’re not imagining it. Our bodies respond to changes in our environment, including changes in light, temperature, food availability and our daily routines.

We often think of ourselves as completely separate from the natural world, but our biology is constantly taking cues from our surroundings. Research has found seasonal changes in areas including immune activity and gene expression,¹ suggesting that our biology isn’t quite as static as we might think.

So rather than fighting the arrival of autumn, perhaps September is a good time to start working with your body.

Here are five simple autumn wellness tips to help you ease into the new season:

1. Get outside

The days may still feel summery at times, but the amount of daylight we’re getting is already changing.

Light is incredibly important to the body. Your circadian rhythm, or internal body clock, uses light and darkness as signals to help regulate processes such as sleep and wakefulness.

As the days become shorter, our relationship with light changes too. One of the simplest things you can do as autumn approaches is to get outside during the day.

It doesn’t have to be a 10-mile hike. A walk around the block, eating your lunch outside, or taking the dog for a stroll all count.

There’s something particularly lovely about an early autumn walk. The air is cooler, the trees are beginning to change and you get that feeling that the whole landscape is quietly getting ready for a new season.

Think of it as a little bit of nature therapy, with no appointment necessary!

2. Let yourself slow down

We’re very good at treating tiredness as something to overcome.

Staying up late because there’s still so much to do? We’ve all been there. But as the evenings become darker, you might find yourself naturally wanting to wind down earlier.

Our bodies are influenced by seasonal changes in light and circadian timing, and many people notice changes in sleep, mood, and energy as the seasons shift.² Autumn can therefore be a lovely opportunity to create a slightly slower evening routine.

You might put the big light on less often, make more cups of tea, enjoy more baths and get into your pyjamas embarrassingly early.

You don’t have to become a different person just because autumn has arrived, but you can give yourself more opportunities to wind down and switch off.

And sometimes, that early night is exactly what your body has been asking for.

3. Follow your autumn appetite

Have you noticed that your food cravings can change with the seasons?

Summer seems to lend itself to salads, juicy fruit, lighter meals and cold drinks. Then autumn arrives and suddenly a bowl of steaming porridge sounds like the best thing you’ve ever eaten. There’s something very instinctive and comforting about warming, nourishing foods as the temperature drops.

September is a wonderful time to start bringing more seasonal produce into your kitchen. Think apples, pears, pumpkins, squashes, carrots, beetroot, potatoes, leafy greens, beans and lentils.

Your gut microbes benefit from a varied diet, particularly one containing a wide range of plant foods. So rather than worrying about creating the “perfect” gut-friendly meal, think about adding variety and colour to your plate.

A warming vegetable soup with beans and wholegrains can be just as exciting for your gut as a summer salad. In fact, your microbes don’t care if it’s aesthetically pleasing, they just want dinner.

4. Keep moving

Autumn doesn’t mean you have to give up on movement until spring. Quite the opposite.

But perhaps your movement can change with the season. Summer is often full of ambitious plans: long hikes, swimming, cycling, running, and outdoor workouts. Autumn invites something a little gentler: perhaps a brisk walk through crunchy leaves, a Sunday hike, or gardening. It doesn’t have to be punishing to be worthwhile.

Getting outdoors can also offer benefits beyond simply getting your steps in. Spending time in nature while moving your body can be a lovely way to support your wellbeing³ and take a break from the constant stimulation of modern life.

5. Give your gut a little autumn tlc

Your gut microbiome is a huge ecosystem made up of trillions of microorganisms, and it doesn’t exist in isolation from the rest of your body. What you eat, how you live and the environment you’re exposed to can all interact with your microbial community.⁴

Autumn can be a good time to return to some simple gut-friendly habits after the freedom and spontaneity of summer.

Think about:

Eating a wide variety of plant foods
Including plenty of fibre-rich foods in your diet
Drinking enough water
Keeping meals reasonably regular
Including fermented foods if you enjoy them and they suit you

You don’t need to overhaul your entire diet. A few simple habits, repeated consistently, can be a much more realistic approach to supporting your gut health.

Working with the season, not against it 🍂

We spend a lot of time trying to keep things the same: same energy, same productivity, same routines. But we’re not machines.

Our bodies are constantly responding to the world around us, including the changing patterns of light and darkness throughout the year. Research suggests that humans retain biological responses to seasonal changes in day length, with seasonal variation observed in areas including mood, hormones, and gene expression.

That doesn’t mean that everyone will experience autumn in the same way, or that every change you notice is necessarily caused by the season. But it does give us a useful reason to check in with ourselves as the seasons change.

Are you getting enough daylight? Could you make a little more time to get outside and move your body? Are you craving warmer, more nourishing meals? Perhaps your evening routine needs to change as the days get darker.

You don’t need to fight those changes or completely reinvent your routine.

Autumn isn’t about starting over. It’s simply a new season – and your body is already responding to it.

If you enjoyed this, you might also like “Winter blues” or biology? Understanding your body’s seasonal shifts, where we take a closer look at how the changing seasons can influence the way we feel, or Eat seasonally this autumn for more inspiration on making the most of autumn’s wonderful produce.

Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm.