BRITISH people are notorious for complaining about the weather, queues and traffic. At this time of year, it’s mostly the freezing cold weather that’s getting most of us down and causing the most complaints. But aside from being an annoyance, cold weather has been scientifically proven to cause a condition called SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder.
People with the disorder tend to suffer from depression due to the lack of sunlight and can suffer other symptoms such as trouble getting up in the morning, craving carbohydrates and gaining weight. It’s more common than you might think and even those you don’t have SAD can feel quite low in winter and lack motivation. If you think you might suffer from SAD you need to see your doctor, but if you are just feeling down this winter then here are some tips on how to beat the typically British ‘winter blues’.
Lumie clocks are all the rage now as more and more people are choosing to be woken up by light rather than sound. The alarm sound in the morning makes us groggy and that waking up to a light makes us less stressed. The Lumie is the best consumer version of light therapy, which means it makes us feel like we are being exposed to more sunlight, plus it gradually wakes you up with a light that gets brighter and brighter, to mimic the sun rising in the morning. Lumies can be bought online or in shops like Argos, Boots and John Lewis.
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In winter a lot of people lose the motivation they had in the summer to exercise and keep fit. But the less you exercise the less motivated you become and the more you want to curl up on the sofa with some comforting warm food. If you overcome that urge and force yourself into the gym or out for a run, you’ll come back feeling a lot happier and that motivation you once lost will start to creep back.
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Due to the lack of sunlight in the winter we are all prone to Vitamin D deficiencies. Vitamin D is important for many functions in the body including the maintenance of healthy strong bones, the proper function of the immune system and of our muscles too. Between the months of October and April we should take a Vitamin D supplement to keep our strength up. It’s recommend that adults take a 10mcg dosage every day and you can buy them in most health food shops.
Now that the days are shorter and darker, it’s important to make the most of the sun. If you can go outside on your lunch break, or for a morning walk, it will be worth it because it’s the lack of sunlight that makes most of us feel down. Feeling the warmth of the sun and even just being out in nature is known to lift your mood. You’ll learn to love winter in no time!
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