It's Blue Monday, but there's no need to feel SAD
Claire Thomas 
Seasonal affective disorder, known as SAD, affects about 3% of the population but there are ways to support your mood and boost it on this blue Monday
Today is known as ‘Blue Monday’ or ‘Brew Monday’ as renamed by the Samaritans as an encouragement to catch up with someone we care about. Whilst there is a lot of good that comes with winter - woolly hats, hot chocolate, curling up with a book, thick socks, a log fire and other things ‘hygge’ come to mind – there is something important that is missing, light.
At this time of year, you go to work before sunrise and come home after sunset, with very little exposure to natural light in between. This lack of light over months on end can be a challenge for some people.
According to BUPA, the ‘winter blues’, or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), affects about 3% of the population. Occurring every autumn like clockwork, it comes with a variety of symptoms, including low mood, listlessness, an increased need for sleep and cravings for sweets and starchy carbohydrates – which can cause weight gain for some. It appears to affect women more often than men, particularly people who are prone to depression.
The exact cause of SAD is not yet properly understood, but it is thought that an imbalance of neurotransmitters is involved. Melatonin (the sleep hormone) and serotonin (the happy hormone) are two neurotransmitters, which are messenger substances in the brain that support mood and sleep. Levels of serotonin can become lower in winter, due to low levels of light and are needed to support you in feeling happy, for motivation and activity.
While serotonin production requires light, melatonin requires darkness. During the long nights of winter, more serotonin is converted into melatonin, further reducing the levels of our “happy” neurotransmitter. Melatonin is required for sleep, but too much of it may make you sleepy during the day, and tiredness is a common symptom of SAD.
Another issue with winter is the low levels of light can impact your vitamin D levels, and vitamin D levels also influence mood. Foods naturally vitamin D-rich are oily fish (salmon, sardines, fresh tuna, trout, halibut, mackerel, et.), high-quality cod liver oil, egg yolks and liver. However, the body prefers sunlight to get the levels of vitamin D it needs.
If you feel your vitamin D levels are low, it’s possible to get them checked and where needed you can supplement with a D3 nutritional supplementation, which is the most effective form for your body.
There are other ways to counteract SAD:
- The use of a full-spectrum light source, either from a lightbox or light bulbs in the house. For this beneficial effect, it is necessary to spend 30 minutes each day in front of a full-spectrum lightbox or six hours with artificial full-spectrum lighting in the house. 98% of light enters your body through the eyes and only 2% through the skin.
- Exercising especially outdoors and moving your body when you can. Even a 10-minute walk during your lunch break, taking some time to get out into nature to visit a local park or wood can also support lifting your mood. Light is accessed mostly through the eyes than the skin and this supports the synthesis of vitamin D and so getting outdoors can support getting some light in the winter.
- Eating protein such as chicken, turkey, dairy products, and eggs and combining it with complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, brown pasta, wholegrain bread and oats, can support the uptake of the amino acid tryptophan which is a forerunner for serotonin.
On this blue Monday, I encourage you to go for a walk or catch up with a friend for a cuppa, to help boost your mood. If you’re interested in learning more about checking your vitamin D levels, feel free to book a free 30-minute health and energy review by clicking here.