Human Hibernation?

It seems that all I want to do this time of year is sleep. And eat, but we won't talk about that. If I ignore it, it will go away, right? Is this always being tired a way of coping with the cold and dark? Or do I suffer just a bit from SAD?

I have always liked winter, or at least I did after I learned to cross country ski (Thanks, Ginny). It is the perfect time to get outside and enjoy the trees and bushes stripped of their greenery, with the bare branches dark against the snow. And the snow - sparkling like crystals; nothing is more beautiful.

But this year, I haven't even thought about skiing, probably because I now have a tendency to break something when I fall. The snow is still beautiful, the stars seem to shine more brightly than at other times of the year, but I just don't seem to want to be outside as much. The couch next to the fireplace is very comfortable, and there are lots of books just waiting to be read. The problem is, my eyes want to close, all on their own, when I get warm and cozy in the living room. I think it has to do with hibernation.

It wouldn't surprise me if, thousands of years ago, humans were able to curl up in caves and take a long winter nap, just like bears. How else were they going to survive the freezing cold? Those skimpy animal loin cloths certainly weren't going to keep them from freezing their tushes off. And did you see the article about the Swedish snowmobilers who found a man who had been trapped in his car for two months? He was still alive! Doctors think that because his core body temperature dropped to 88 degrees F. and he kept very still, he was able to survive.

Doesn't this prove humans can hibernate? Not that I would want to try to survive an ordeal like the Swedish man, but maybe I can use this human hibernation as an excuse to take my afternoon nap every day without feeling guilty.