With the year coming to an end and temperatures dropping in much of the northern hemisphere, you might be feeling the urge to gather some loved ones, curl up at home, and laze about doing not much of anything for a while. If togetherness and (semi) hibernation appeals to you this time of year, you’re not alone. The instinct to gather and snooze is widespread in the animal kingdom.

Voles in Mongolia “form small huddling groups of around four in the nesting chambers,” while Canadian “red-sided garter snakes congregate in communal, overwintering dens, sometimes by the thousand,” ecologist Anne Champneys offers as two examples among many.

Banding together and taking it easy helps animals conserve heat, hook up, spot predators, and pool their food-finding resources. Which is a strong reason to get together and chill if you’re a rook or a hare.

But what about the human urge to gather and rest this time of year? Does it also have evolutionary advantages? And perhaps most important for entrepreneurs feeling low on energy right now, is that a good excuse to give into your urge to hibernate? Yup, replies one neuroscientist.

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Millions and millions of years of evolution separate us from garter snakes and voles. But all those eons aren’t enough to erase the ancient impulse to hibernate completely, explains neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff in the newsletter of the company she founded, Ness Labs.

“December hits and suddenly you feel like you’re running on half-battery, even though your to-do list hasn’t gotten the memo. While everyone around you is pushing to ‘finish strong,’ you know it’s time to slow down,” she relatably writes.

You might think the issue is laziness or end-of-year burnout, but “you’re actually responding to a biological rhythm that humans have followed for centuries, even if modern life tries to push against it,” she continues.

Research shows that humans, like arctic hares, experience seasonal fluctuations in our hormones that cause us to feel sleepier, slower, hungrier, and even hornier in the winter months.

As Arizona State psychologist Michael Varnum explained to National Geographic, “During the winter our bodies go through a natural evolutionary cycle,… This isn’t learned behavior or coincidence. It’s part of some deeper, more instinctual programming. There are a lot of parallels to hibernation in many other mammals.” Neuroscience explains the benefits of ‘wintering’

Of course, you can’t just tell your boss or your client, “Sorry, I can’t do that thing you asked for because my body is telling me to hide under my comforter.” But that doesn’t mean you should totally ignore the human equivalent of the drive to hibernate either. Le Cunff joins a long line of other productivity experts and thinkers in urging people to respect their seasonal rhythms.

Rest, she stresses, isn’t the absence of activity. It’s an essential part of how we humans are able to accomplish so much throughout the year.

Le Cunff suggests Wintering, an excellent book by Katherine May, as a guide to the value of slowing down and resting during the dark months. (I’ve read it and recommend it highly too.) But she also offers a neuroscience-based justification for giving in to the urge to semi-hibernate.

“Your brain is incredibly active during periods of rest,” Le Cunff explains. “This is when it consolidates memories, processes emotions, and repairs neural pathways damaged by stress. What looks like stillness from the outside is actually a vital form of restoration on the inside.” How to (semi)hibernate as an employed human

Getting those benefits requires you to honor rather than fight your natural rhythms. Some entrepreneurs, freelancers, and artists do that literally, taking blocks of the year off work entirely and getting incredible things done during the periods when they’re feeling more rested and motivated. If you can explore that avenue, I urge you to click some of the links above and try to figure out a seasonal rhythm that works for you.

But if you’re beholden to the schedules of customers or bosses, that doesn’t mean you can’t be at all vole-like in your approach to the depths of January. Le Cunff offers a simple four step approach to help you semi-hibernate, even in our modern, always-on world.

Create a wintering nest. “Set up one corner of your home dedicated to rest and reflection: comfortable seating, good lighting, some books or a journal, maybe even a ‘no phone’ sign. Having a designated space you can reliably retreat to makes it easier to actually use your downtime,” she writes. Other experts support this idea of using your physical location to cue your mood. 
Adjust your rhythm. “Look at your calendar and identify what’s truly necessary versus what you’re doing out of habit. December is perfect for experimenting with saying no to non-essential commitments.” Plenty of advice on how to do this effectively is available. 
Choose nurturing activities. “Engage in activities that require presence rather than performance,” Le Cunff advises. “Reading without taking notes, cooking without recipes, or working on small creative projects with no end goal. These activities help your nervous system downshift from constant productivity mode.”
Prioritize quality connections. Yes, this is the season of endless social invitations, but you don’t have to say yes to them all. “Instead of spreading yourself thin across multiple social obligations, choose deeper interactions with fewer people. Cook for someone, have longer conversations, invite a couple of friends over for a quiet evening,” suggests Le Cinff. 

Go, ahead and make like a marmot this winter

As much as I sometimes envy marmots with nothing to do but nibble grass in the sun all day, humans are not actually chunky rodents. We can’t retreat to our dens and hang out a ‘do not disturb’ sign until the weather warms up. But that doesn’t mean you should entirely ignore the impulse to hibernate this time of year.

Your sanity and overall productivity will be higher throughout the year if you allow yourself a calmer, more cozy approach to during the cold, short days. Wintering well now will give you the energy, focus, and ideas to be happy and productive when the sun returns.