Health Preventive Health 6 Ways a Snow Day Is Good for Your Health Make that blizzard work for you. By Abigail Wise Abigail Wise Abigail Wise is a writer and editor with over two decades of experience in print and digital media. Highlights: * As associate editor at Real Simple, she contributed health and fitness articles and ran the magazine's media channels and campaigns * Was senior editor at REI for a year * Co-founder Adventures in Wikipedia, group that organizes the writing of Wikipedia profiles of outdoorsy women * Became online managing editor at Outdoors Magazine, and worked her way up to her current position of digital managing director * Freelance writer for Real Simple, Conde Nast Traveler, and Runner's World Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on November 20, 2022 Fact checked by Emily Peterson Fact checked by Emily Peterson Emily Peterson is an experienced fact-checker and editor with Bachelor's degrees in English Literature and French. Our Fact-Checking Process Share Tweet Pin Email It turns out that snow days can be good for more than snowmen and hot cocoa. Mother Nature may be doing your mind and body a favor with all those extra feet of fresh powder. Here are six ways a good old-fashioned snow day might be benefiting your health and wellbeing. Getty Images 01 of 06 Snow days let you sleep in. The power of sleep is well documented. Getting the right amount of shuteye (seven to nine hours for most people) can, among its plethora of benefits, make us less stressed, help maintain a healthy metabolism, ward off Alzheimer's disease, make us happier, and boost immunity. Sleep has also been linked to forming new memories, and may lead to improved brain function and memory later in life. What's more, not getting enough sleep not only deprives you of these benefits, but leads to its own set of health issues, ranging from inconvenient (losing focus at work the next day) to dangerous (falling asleep at the wheel). So sleeping in an extra hour or so on a snow day may mean a better functioning, healthier you. 02 of 06 Playing outside counts as major exercise. Trekking through the snow can be a serious workout. An hour of snowshoeing, cross country skiing, dodging snowballs in a snowball fight, building a snowman, hiking up snowy hills to sled down—these are all amazing ways to get the heart pumping and count as serious exercise. Plus, you'll be doing them outside, which only makes them healthier for you, mind and body. RELATED: 18 Fun December Activities You Can Still Enjoy (Even During a Pandemic) 03 of 06 Spending the day curled up with a good book may also improve your health and happiness. Don't feel like battling the cold temperatures? Diving into a good book comes with its own proven health benefits. Research has linked the habit to warding off Alzheimer's disease and reducing stress. Plus, reading can improve brain function. So stock up on cozy blankets and enjoy the health perks of a snowy day in, bookworms. RELATED: 35 Chilling Psychological Thrillers and Mysteries to Add To Your Reading List Now 04 of 06 Snow days force us to take a break. Many of us work a lot without taking much-needed physical and mental breaks from the daily grind. Many Americans who receive paid vacation don't actually use all of their days off. Not taking time off can actually hurt our productivity at work. But snow days push us to take some welcome and unexpected time to ourselves. 05 of 06 It's an opportunity to eat a home-cooked family meal. Too much snow makes it basically impossible to order delivery or takeout, and offers you enough free time to actually cook dinner. Research suggests that home cooking leads to better food choices and a healthier overall diet. Family mealtime has been suggested to help children build communication, decision-making skills, self-esteem, healthy habits, and strong values. RELATED: 25 Cozy Recipes You Can Make From Pantry Staples 06 of 06 Having fun is good for you. Whether you'd prefer to spend the day outside or curled up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate, actually enjoying yourself for a day is in fact a boon to your health. Stress can cause headaches, fatigue, anxiety, sleep problems, and even depression. Taking a day to relieve all that can improve your mood and your health. Getting silly in the snow is also a good idea. Laughing may lower inflammation, soothe tension, boost your immune system, and more. 14 Fun Things to Do on a Rainy Day Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Real Simple is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. Besedovsky L, Lange T, Haack M. The sleep-immune crosstalk in health and disease. Physiol Rev. 2019;99(3):1325-1380. doi:10.1152/physrev.00010.2018 10.1152/physrev.00010.2018 Sharma S, Kavuru M. Sleep and metabolism: an overview. Int J Endocrinol. 2010;2010:270832. doi: 10.1155/2010/270832 Sabia S, Fayosse A, Dumurgier J, et al. Association of sleep duration in middle and old age with incidence of dementia. Nat Commun. 2021;12(1):2289. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22354-2 Krell-Roesch J, Vemuri P, Pink A, et al. Association between mentally stimulating activities in late life and the outcome of incident mild cognitive impairment, with an analysis of the APOE ε4 Genotype. JAMA Neurol. 2017 ;74(3):332-338. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.3822 Wolfson JA, Bleich SN. Is cooking at home associated with better diet quality or weight-loss intention?. Public Health Nutr. 2015;18(8):1397-1406. doi:10.1017/S1368980014001943 Standford Children's Health, Why the family meal is important. Accessed May 12, 2022. Yim J. Therapeutic benefits of laughter in mental health: a theoretical review. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2016;239(3):243-249. doi:10.1620/tjem.239.243