Spring is in full swing—and while the longer days, outdoor dinners, and golden evenings feel like a gift, they can also quietly wreak havoc on your internal clock. If you’ve been staying up later, waking up groggier, or finding your energy lagging by midday, your sleep rhythm might be out of sync. The good news? May is the perfect window to reset before summer throws your schedule even further off balance.
At Los Gatos Doc, Dr. Arun Villivalam and our team work closely with patients to understand what’s really behind poor sleep—whether it’s stress, hormone fluctuations, sleep apnea, or lifestyle habits. Whether you’re searching for primary care doctors near you, a general practitioner in Los Gatos, or a provider who considers sleep part of the full health picture, we’re here to help you get back on track.
Why Sleep Suffers During the Summer
As spring melts into summer, many people find themselves staying up later, waking up groggier, and feeling less rested—even if they think they’re getting enough hours in bed. So what’s really happening?
One of the biggest culprits is light exposure. As daylight stretches later into the evening, your body’s production of melatonin—the hormone that helps you fall asleep—is suppressed for longer periods. Melatonin is naturally released when the brain detects darkness, signaling to your body that it’s time to rest. But with sunset creeping past 8:00 or 9:00 p.m., many people don’t feel sleepy until much later—even if they still need to wake up early the next day.
This misalignment between your circadian rhythm (your internal body clock) and the external environment is known as circadian delay. Over time, it can lead to shorter sleep duration, fragmented sleep, and even disruptions in metabolism, mood, immune function, and cognitive performance.
Common Summer Sleep Disruptors Include:
- Later social schedules – From evening barbecues and sports practices to late-night gatherings, summer often brings activities that push bedtime further into the night.
- Vacation travel and time zone shifts – Jet lag and inconsistent sleep/wake times can disrupt melatonin production and throw your internal clock out of sync for days.
- Warmer bedroom temperatures – The optimal sleep temperature is around 65–68°F, but without proper cooling, bedrooms in the summer can easily exceed this, making it harder to fall and stay asleep.
- Increased alcohol intake – While a glass of wine may help you feel sleepy, alcohol reduces REM sleep, causes more frequent nighttime awakenings, and leaves you feeling less restored in the morning.
These factors may seem minor on their own, but combined, they can weaken your sleep architecture and create a cycle of sleep debt that impacts everything from appetite regulation to emotional stability.
Benefits of Resetting Your Sleep Now
Think of May as your “sleep training ground” before the full demands of summer set in. This is a time when routines are still relatively stable, schools are winding down, and travel hasn’t yet peaked—making it easier to establish or re-establish healthy sleep patterns. By resetting now, your body can adapt to shifting daylight patterns while preserving the structure and depth of quality sleep.
1. Regain Natural Energy
When you sleep well, your body doesn’t just rest—it repairs. During deep sleep, your mitochondria (your body’s energy-producing powerhouses) undergo essential maintenance, helping restore muscle tissue, replenish neurotransmitters, and prepare your body for the day ahead. Without sufficient sleep, your energy levels take a hit—even if you’re eating well or staying active.
A May reset gives your body the time and conditions it needs to rebuild energy naturally—so you’re not running on caffeine, sugar, or sheer willpower all summer long. Whether it’s chasing kids, hiking, or commuting, good sleep gives you the real stamina to enjoy it.
2. Boost Metabolism and Support Weight Balance
Sleep and metabolism are deeply intertwined. When you’re sleep-deprived, your body produces more ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and less leptin (the satiety hormone), making you feel hungrier and less satisfied after meals. It also reduces insulin sensitivity, increasing the risk of weight gain, blood sugar spikes, and even Type 2 diabetes over time.
A consistent sleep schedule supports healthy hormonal balance, improves metabolic markers, and helps your body regulate how it stores and uses energy. Combine this with morning movement and an earlier dinner schedule, and you’ve created a metabolism-friendly routine before the summer BBQs begin.
3. Improve Mental Clarity and Emotional Balance
Sleep is when your brain files memories, clears out metabolic waste, and resets emotional processing systems. Poor sleep impairs your executive function, which includes your ability to focus, plan, make decisions, and regulate mood.
If you’ve been feeling foggy, impatient, or more anxious than usual, it could be less about your workload—and more about your sleep. Restorative sleep improves cognitive performance, stress tolerance, and mood stability, helping you show up as your best self at work, with family, and in your relationships.
4. Strengthen Immune Function
Your immune system relies on quality sleep to function effectively. During sleep, your body produces cytokines, proteins that help fight inflammation, infection, and stress. Chronic sleep deprivation lowers the production of these protective agents, making you more susceptible to viruses, allergies, and prolonged illness.
A May sleep reset helps fortify your immune response before the seasonal shifts, travel, and social exposure of summer begin. It’s one of the most underused yet powerful ways to stay well.
5. Protect Heart Health
Studies have shown that people who don’t get enough quality sleep have a higher risk of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. Poor sleep increases inflammation and raises cortisol levels, placing extra stress on your cardiovascular system.
Establishing a consistent sleep routine now helps reduce your risk long-term. It’s a foundational part of preventive care—just like checking your blood pressure or cholesterol.
5 Doctor-Approved Tips for a May Sleep Reset
If your sleep schedule has drifted or you’re bracing for summer disruptions, May is the perfect time to re-align your internal clock. These five strategies—backed by sleep science and trusted by physicians—can help you build healthier sleep habits that last well beyond the season.
1. Anchor Your Wake-Up Time
Consistency is key when it comes to sleep. Choose a fixed wake-up time, even on weekends and days off, to reinforce your body’s circadian rhythm—the 24-hour cycle that governs sleep, energy, hormone release, and digestion.
Why it works: Regular wake-up times help train your internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep at night, stay asleep longer, and feel alert during the day. Inconsistent schedules (like “sleeping in” on weekends) can lead to “social jet lag,” which mimics the effects of traveling across time zones and leaves you feeling groggy.
Tip: Set your alarm for the same time every day and resist the snooze button—your body will thank you within a week.
2. Get Morning Sunlight
Exposure to natural light within 30–60 minutes of waking helps reset your internal clock and stimulate serotonin production, which later converts to melatonin in the evening.
Why it works: Morning light—especially blue-spectrum light from the sun—tells your brain it’s daytime, helping stop melatonin production and increase cortisol, your natural “get-up-and-go” hormone. This strengthens your day/night rhythm and boosts energy, mood, and metabolic regulation.
Tip: Step outside for at least 10–15 minutes—walk your dog, stretch, sip coffee, or water your plants. If sunlight is limited, try a light therapy box in the early morning (ask your provider for recommendations).
3. Cool Down Your Evenings
Temperature, light, and screen exposure all impact melatonin production. Create an evening routine that cues your body to wind down naturally.
Why it works: Your core body temperature needs to drop slightly to initiate sleep. Warm lights, high room temps, and digital screens emitting blue light can all interfere with melatonin release and prevent you from transitioning into restful sleep.
Tip: Dim household lighting 1–2 hours before bed, avoid devices or use blue-light filters, and keep your room between 65–68°F. A warm bath 90 minutes before bed can also help by cooling the body after heat exposure.
4. Adjust Your Dinner Timing
Late meals can disrupt both digestion and sleep quality, especially if they’re high in sugar, caffeine, or fat. Your body needs time to digest before transitioning into sleep mode.
Why it works: Eating too close to bedtime can raise blood sugar and body temperature, delay melatonin production, and increase the risk of acid reflux or nighttime awakenings. In contrast, finishing dinner earlier gives your system time to wind down properly.
Tip: Aim to eat dinner at least 2–3 hours before bed, and keep evening snacks light if needed. Bonus: aligning meals with your circadian rhythm can also support weight management and hormone balance.
5. Address the Root Cause
If you’re following good sleep habits but still feeling tired, it’s time to dig deeper. Chronic stress, hormone imbalances, sleep apnea, and other medical conditions can silently sabotage your sleep.
Why it matters: Many patients normalize poor sleep or fatigue, not realizing it’s a symptom of something treatable. At Los Gatos Doc, Dr. Arun Villivalam takes a whole-person approach, evaluating sleep alongside mental health, hormone levels, lifestyle, and environmental triggers.
Tip: Don’t wait for exhaustion to catch up with you. Schedule a wellness visit to explore possible causes of poor sleep—from perimenopause and thyroid dysfunction to chronic stress or undiagnosed sleep disorders. You deserve to sleep well and wake restored.
Sleep Support at Los Gatos Doc
Dr. Villivalam’s approach to primary care includes sleep as a vital sign—because how you sleep affects how you live. As one of the best doctors in Los Gatos CA, he works with patients to:
- Identify and treat underlying sleep disorders
- Evaluate stress, hormonal, and lifestyle factors
- Provide guidance on natural sleep hygiene
- Offer referrals for sleep studies when needed
Whether you’re searching for a primary care doctor in Saratoga, CA, or a general practitioner in Los Gatos who will take your concerns seriously, you’re in the right hands.
Take the First Step Toward Better Rest
May is the ideal window to create a foundation of sleep that lasts all summer—and all year. With more daylight and fewer obligations than mid-summer, you can align your habits with your health before your schedule gets busy.
Book your appointment today with Dr. Arun Villivalam at Los Gatos Doc and get a personalized wellness plan that includes sleep, metabolism, and mental health—all in one place.
Worked Cited:
National Sleep Foundation. What Is REM Sleep? The NSF, 2023. https://www.thensf.org/what-is-rem-sleep/
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2021. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation
National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Circadian Rhythms. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2020. https://nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms
Guan, Yue, et al. “Circadian Rhythm Dysfunction and the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Chronobiology International, vol. 39, no. 12, 2022, pp. 1615–1630. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36404495/
Bryant, Penelope A., et al. “Sleep and Immune Function.” Immunology and Cell Biology, vol. 82, no. 5, 2012, pp. 510–516. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3256323/
American Heart Association. Why Is Sleep Important to Heart Health? 2023. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/sleep