Is Appetite Affected by Season? Exploring the Link Between Climate, Hormones, and Cravings

October 10, 2025 •

4 min read

Seasonal changes in energy intake are a documented phenomenon, with many people reporting shifts in their eating habits throughout the year. But is appetite affected by season, or are other factors at play, like hormones and light exposure? This article explores the intricate science behind why our desire for food shifts with the climate.

Quick Summary

Appetite is influenced by seasonal factors including temperature, daylight hours, and emotional state. Colder weather can increase hunger and cravings for calorie-dense foods, while warmer temperatures tend to suppress appetite. These physiological responses are mediated by hormones and the body's circadian rhythm, though modern lifestyles can alter or diminish these natural patterns.

Key Points

Temperature's Impact: Colder weather can increase appetite by prompting the body to expend more energy on thermoregulation.
Daylight's Influence: Shorter daylight hours in winter can decrease serotonin levels, leading to increased cravings for calorie-dense foods.
Hormonal Regulation: Seasonal changes disrupt the normal rhythms of appetite hormones like ghrelin and leptin, affecting hunger and satiety signals.
Psychological Factors: Seasonal Affective Disorder and emotional eating can lead to increased winter appetite, especially for high-carb comfort foods.
Lifestyle Adjustments: Reduced winter physical activity combined with increased calorie intake is a key driver of seasonal weight fluctuations.
Strategic Eating: Adopting seasonal eating, prioritizing hydration, and maintaining a consistent activity level can help manage appetite year-round.

The Science Behind Seasonal Appetite Fluctuations

Numerous studies confirm that human energy intake and food preferences can vary significantly throughout the year. This phenomenon, often colloquially observed, is rooted in several interconnected physiological and psychological mechanisms.

How Temperature Influences Hunger

Ambient temperature plays a critical role in regulating appetite and energy intake. In colder conditions, your body expends more energy to maintain its core temperature, a process known as thermoregulation. This increased energy expenditure can trigger a rise in appetite to compensate for the extra calories being burned. Conversely, hot weather has the opposite effect, often leading to a decrease in overall food consumption. This is partly because the body needs less energy for temperature regulation and digestion itself produces heat. Studies also indicate that environmental temperature can affect appetite-related hormones like ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and leptin (the satiety hormone). Exposure to cold has been shown to increase ghrelin and decrease leptin, while warmer temperatures have the opposite effect.

The Role of Light and Hormones

Daylight hours, which shorten in winter and lengthen in summer, have a profound impact on our internal clocks. This circadian rhythm influences hormone secretion and neurotransmitter activity, which in turn affects our appetite and mood.

Serotonin: The production of this neurotransmitter, which regulates mood and appetite, is closely linked to sunlight exposure. Lower sunlight in winter can lead to decreased serotonin levels, which some people try to self-medicate by craving and consuming carbohydrate-rich foods.
Melatonin: This sleep-regulating hormone is also affected by light. Changes in seasonal daylight hours can disrupt the timing of melatonin and ghrelin release, leading to shifts in hunger signals.
Cortisol: The body's stress hormone, cortisol, can also fluctuate seasonally. Changes in stress levels related to seasonal shifts in mood can alter eating patterns and preferences, sometimes increasing the desire for highly palatable foods.

The Impact of Lifestyle and Psychology

Beyond core biology, seasonal shifts in lifestyle and psychological state also drive changes in appetite.

Physical Activity: Many people decrease their outdoor physical activity during colder, shorter days and become more sedentary. While this reduces calorie expenditure, it doesn't always lead to a proportional decrease in food intake. For some, a sedentary lifestyle can lead to weight gain during the winter months.
Emotional Eating: The 'winter blues' or more clinically, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), can significantly alter mood and eating habits. Many people with SAD experience a notable increase in appetite, particularly for simple carbohydrates and sugars, which are sought for their temporary mood-boosting effects. Conversely, some individuals with depression experience appetite loss.
Social Gatherings: Winter often includes holidays and more frequent family gatherings centered around large, indulgent meals. This increased exposure to rich foods can lead to higher caloric intake, regardless of physiological hunger cues.

Seasonal Eating Habits: Winter vs. Summer

Our cravings often change to align with the season's typical climate and available produce. These shifts can reveal the deep, instinctual drivers behind our eating habits.


Common Eating Patterns by Season	Feature	Winter Appetite Tendencies	Summer Appetite Tendencies
Food Cravings	Hearty, warming comfort foods, stews, soups, and dishes rich in carbohydrates and fats.	Light, refreshing, and high water-content foods, such as fruits, salads, and chilled soups.
Energy Intake	Often increases due to thermoregulation demands and psychological factors.	Generally decreases, partly due to the body's effort to stay cool.
Hormonal Profile	Serotonin levels may be lower due to less sunlight, possibly contributing to carb cravings.	Higher sunlight exposure may lead to better serotonin regulation, reducing some cravings.
Activity Level	Reduced outdoor activity is common due to cold weather, leading to less energy expenditure.	Increased outdoor activities are prevalent, which can stimulate appetite but also burn more calories.

Managing Seasonal Changes in Appetite

Understanding the reasons behind seasonal shifts can help you proactively manage your diet and avoid unhealthy patterns.

Practical Strategies for Year-Round Health

Embrace Seasonal Produce: Align your diet with what's naturally in season. Hearty root vegetables and leafy greens are abundant in fall and winter, while light, water-rich fruits and vegetables are plentiful in spring and summer. This helps you work with, not against, your natural inclinations.
Stay Hydrated: Thirst can often be mistaken for hunger, especially in warmer weather. Keeping hydrated with water or low-calorie beverages can prevent unnecessary snacking.
Maintain Activity Levels: Finding ways to stay active year-round is crucial. During colder months, focus on indoor workouts like gym sessions, yoga, or home exercises to counteract the seasonal dip in physical activity.
Prioritize Sleep: Irregular sleep patterns and shorter daylight hours can disrupt your body's circadian rhythm and affect appetite-regulating hormones. Sticking to a consistent sleep schedule can help regulate these hunger cues.
Use Light Therapy: For those susceptible to SAD, light therapy has been shown to help boost serotonin levels and improve mood, which can curb seasonal cravings for carbohydrates.

Conclusion: Embracing and Navigating Seasonal Appetites

The question, "Is appetite affected by season?", is definitively answered with a yes. Seasonal shifts in temperature, light exposure, and social habits exert a powerful influence on our physiology and psychology, altering our hunger cues and cravings. From the evolutionary drive to store fat in winter to the thermoregulatory response that suppresses hunger in summer, our bodies are finely tuned to adapt to their environment. By recognizing these natural rhythms, we can make informed dietary choices rather than simply reacting to our cravings. Adopting strategies like seasonal eating, maintaining consistent activity, and prioritizing a healthy sleep schedule allows for a balanced diet year-round, ensuring overall nutritional wellness, regardless of what the weather is doing outside.

An authoritative source on seasonal energy intake and its influencing factors can be found in the review published in Frontiers in Nutrition: Factors explaining seasonal variation in energy intake: a review.

Frequently Asked Questions

You feel hungrier in winter due to a combination of physiological and psychological factors. Your body expends more energy to stay warm, triggering an increase in appetite for calorie-dense foods. Shorter days also affect mood-regulating hormones like serotonin, leading to cravings for carbohydrates.

Yes, hot weather can naturally suppress appetite. The body directs energy toward cooling itself rather than digestion, which generates internal heat. This physiological response often reduces the desire for heavy meals and increases the craving for lighter, water-rich foods.

Sunlight affects your appetite primarily through its influence on your circadian rhythm and serotonin levels. Greater sun exposure can help maintain stable serotonin levels, which helps regulate appetite. Less sunlight in winter can lower serotonin, potentially increasing cravings for carbs.

Yes, SAD is often linked to significant appetite changes. Many individuals with SAD experience increased cravings for carbohydrates and sugars during the winter months, and some may also have a general increase in appetite.

The circadian rhythm, or your internal body clock, helps orchestrate daily fluctuations in hormones like ghrelin and leptin. Seasonal changes in daylight can disrupt this rhythm, causing misalignment that affects when and how much you feel hungry, potentially promoting weight gain.

Winter cravings often favor hearty, warm comfort foods rich in carbohydrates and fats, like stews and baked goods. Summer cravings tend toward refreshing, lighter fare with high water content, such as salads, fruits, and cold beverages.

To manage seasonal changes, embrace seasonal produce, as your body may naturally crave foods that are in season. Focus on staying active year-round, prioritize good sleep, and ensure adequate hydration. Listen to your body's cues and make mindful choices that support your health goals.