Prepare For Winter Blues

Autumn is now upon us and we are rapidly approaching the end of October, a time when we lose an hour of daylight as the clocks change. By winter solstice, 21st December, our daylight hours will be nearly 6 hours less than 21st June.

For many of us, this will mean we will spend most of our winter days at work or inside, with little access to sunlight, most likely traveling to and from work in darkness. It’s hard to find anyone who looks forward to the prospect of so little sunshine. For 8% it will trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD.

SAD was officially recognised in 1984 following research that established that hormone levels were affected by available light. These hormone changes were found to change mood, sleep, and eating habits, increasing the desire to both sleep more and eat more carbohydrates.

SAD has been linked to depression and this is far from new, with physicians as long as 2,000 years ago identifying the link between access to sunlight and mood.

 

It is perhaps alarming that Roman physicians identified all these factors 2,000 years ago and yet we are still trying to get the same message across now.

For something so straightforward as a lack of time in the sunlight, the obvious recommendation to resolve this is to get out in daylight as much as possible, preferably at least 30 minutes per day. A brisk walk in the winter sun at lunchtime is clearly a healthier option than continuing to sit inside, in more ways than one.

There are other steps you can take to make winter a more enjoyable experience and now is the time to start planning, as once the lethargy sets in, it will most probably be too late.

Here are some ideas you should consider:

• Buy a daylight bulb and give yourself a daily dose of light therapy. SADA, the charity set up for SAD sufferers, estimates that up to 85% could be helped with this simple therapy.
  Interestingly, we bought one and use it in the office at home and our two cats fight over it as soon as it’s on.  They obviously pick up on something!
• Start some form of regular exercise, even simple yoga will help. Exercise is PROVEN to make you feel better.
• Avoid bad news. We are addicted to the news, which is mostly bad news. Health experts' advice is don’t read newspapers and don’t watch the news for this very reason. ( And it’s a factor in the mental health epidemic we see now) Our body systems were never designed to be bombarded with constant negativity.  Try it! I guarantee if it’s something important, someone will tell you anyway. The rest, by definition, is not important.
• Spend time with friends. Studies have shown that THE single most important factor in life expectancy is having regular contact with close friends.
• Laugh a lot. Do fun things.
• Eat and drink sensibly
• Get as much light as possible.

 

It is perhaps alarming that Roman physicians identified all these factors 2,000 years ago and yet we are still trying to get the same message across now.

 

Whatever happened to common sense?