Blow Away the Winter Blues
It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s winter - and it’s here to stay for the next few months! On average, in the UK, we only have approximately 8 hours of daylight and this period is often a blanket of grey skies that make the day-light hours feel pretty bleak and dark. It is no wonder that the population often report having the winter blues and feeling tired all the time.
Winter can affect us both physically and mentally. We may feel more lethargic during the day, need to sleep more, want to eat more calorific foods and may even gain some weight - a little bit like hibernation in animals. However if symptoms become so bad that they begin to interfere with your daily life, it is possible that you are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
In the UK approximately 2 million people suffer from this problem and interestingly, it is about three times more common in women than in men. Symptoms of SAD are similar to depression but in most circumstances are turned on in late summer or early winter and tend to dissipate in late spring or early summer. SAD syndrome is a condition that induces feelings of depression: low mood, lack of interest or enjoyment in life, low energy levels, lack of sex drive, PMS-like symptoms, low interest in socialising, increased need/want to sleep and eating more. Sufferers of SAD tend to have food cravings and be drawn to eating starchy, high carbohydrate and sugary meals and snacks.
SAD is not fully understood, but what does seem important is the reduced amount of light that we get in winter may be related. Research suggests that the daylight we receive can influence our appetite, mood and wakefulness. During the darker months, the body increases the production of a hormone called melatonin from the pineal gland, which regulates our glandular function and is responsible for making us feel sleepy. With increased melatonin demand we may find our happy hormone serotonin becomes depleted. Why? Because serotonin can be broken down by the body to make melatonin as and when the body needs it. So with more melatonin being produced we have increased lethargy and tiredness and less of the happy hormone serotonin thus increasing the risk of the winter blues or SAD.
With less daylight influencing our appetite, people with the winter blues or suffering from SAD, often crave starchy foods like, chips, white bread, cakes and biscuits as well as sugary snacks like soft drinks and chocolate. Eating this way may cause you to be nutrient deficient, disrupt blood sugar levels and affect the intricate balance of hormones, leading us to put on weight, increase lethargy and contribute to low mood. Unfortunately this can become a destructive cycle of binge eating and depression.
But do not despair, there are things that can be done whether you get a bout of the winter blues or feel that you suffer from SAD every winter. With the New Year ahead your resolutions could be to focus your attention on your mental health and your happiness. Both lifestyle and nutritional changes can make a fundamental impact on the wellbeing of your mind. The suggestions below are helpful for anyone wanting to tackle winter and their mood.
Lifestyle:
Invest in a dawn-stimulating alarm clock. These can be timed to come on dimly 60 minutes of so before wake-up time and gradually get brighter, lowering melatonin and allow the body to wake slowly. This can be beneficial to those of us who find getting up and motivated in the morning difficult.
Light therapy provides you with extra light to make up for the shortage we have over winter. It’s light is like sunlight (without the UV rays, so don’t expect a winter tan) and it may help to reduce the production of melatonin. You need to use if for about 60 minutes every morning and many people find improvement in their symptoms.
Aim for 8 hours of sleep at night and create a regular routine of going to bed and waking up.
One of the simplest things to do is spend time outdoors every day during the daylight hours. Get natural light on your face by going for a walk in your local park or sit in the garden.
Darker days can be un-motivating to do exercise but moving the body can increase the production of serotonin and make you feel good. Find a friend to have a daily walk or jog with, join a park exercise group or just have some fun and learn a new physical activity such as dance or kickboxing.
Don’t let the rain put you off. Get outside no matter the weather. Invest in a warm waterproof, some wellington boots and enjoy time out in nature and the fresh air. Rain on the face can be invigorating!
Find your people. Invest time with family and/ friends and be there for one another. Having a support system is one of the most important things you can have for your mental health and keeping the blues at bay.
Nutritional Considerations:
There are lots of things you can do nutritionally to help overcome SAD or occasional winter blues. You do not need to focus on all of them at once, but slowly make dietary changes to support your body and balance your hormones.
Your cells needs fat. Your brain, hormones and cell membranes need essential fats to function properly. Research suggests that essential fats such as omega-3 fats can help mild to major depression. Focus on increasing your intake of oily fish (salmon, Mackerel, sardines, anchovies) and seeds such as flaxseed. Avoid fats from margarines, high amounts of saturated or trans-fats that are readily available in fast-foods and processed foods.
Increase the amino acid tryptophan as this is required for our happy hormone (serotonin) to be produced. Tryptophan is found in foods such as white meats (fish, chicken, turkey), cottage cheese, beans, avocados, bananas, wheat germ and whey protein.
Focus on beneficial carbohydrates such as brown or red rice, beans and sweet potato which fill you up and are ‘warming to the soul’ comfort food without the starchy sugars.
Reduce as much as possible refined carbohydrates, processed foods and sugary snacks. Instead, fuel your cells with ‘real food’ that supports your body, brain and hormones.
Should I take supplements?
There are supplements that can be useful in helping our mood and symptoms of SAD, however it is very important to take care, especially if you are on medication as some supplements may interact or interfere with medication and stop it from working properly, so always check with your GP first. Secondly, no supplement should replace a healthy diet, they should just add an extra ‘bang’ to the foods you are already eating.
It is difficult to get enough vitamin D through food alone and is therefore important to supplement especially over winter. Research suggests that vitamin D helps regulate dopamine production, a hormone associated with reward and happiness in the brain, as well as helping to protect from serotonin depletion. Low vitamin D levels may contribute to an increased risk of depression and many of us have sub-optimal levels, especially over winter. The Vitamin D Council recommend taking a supplement from October to March to help combat deficiency, however if you are prone to the winter blues you could take Vitamin D for a longer period.
5HPT (5-Hydroxy Tryptophan) is derived from an African plant and can help to boost serotonin levels in the body. Research suggests that this supplement can be as effective as orthodox anti-depressants in lifting the mood but without any problematic side effects. It is also not addictive.
If you are lacking energy during the winter months it may be that your vitamin B needs to be increased. Vitamin B is used up in stressful situations and a lack of B3, B6 and B12 may be linked to low mood and depression. Both B3 and B6 are required by the body to convert the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin. So supplementing with a good quality B Vitamin Complex during the stress of the winter months may support your energy levels and your mood.
Over the winter months it can be a good idea to take a good quality multi-vitamin to ensure you are getting a little bit of everything when you most need it. This can complement a whole-foods, nutrient rich diet intended to support every cell in your body.
So if you suffer from SAD or the winter blues, know that you are not alone. Make your mental health an important priority and be kind to yourself. There is lots of support out there and by making little changes every day to your lifestyle and to the foods that you choose to eat, can have a dramatic impact on your energy and mood and help you blow away those winter blues.
If you think you or a loved one suffers from SAD, always talk to your GP in the first instance before making any dietary or lifestyle changes.
