How to fight seasonal affective disorder: beat the January blues with these three expert tips
Cold weather, less daylight, processed food and a sedentary lifestyle all contribute to feeling low and lonely. These tips will help you regulate your circadian rhythm, boost your gut microbial flora and warm your heart
Are you having to try hard to put on a happy face? For many of us, January can be the most miserable month of the year. We return from the Christmas and New Year break several kilograms heavier and feeling sluggish, struggle to align with the rhythm of work, fall victim to the flu, and lose patience with the cold.
Seasonal affective disorder or SAD is a mood disorder that can affect some people during winter. It is thought to be triggered by a combination of factors that revolve around an anomaly in our 24-hour daily rhythm, or “circadian” rhythm. These include disturbances in melatonin and serotonin levels and a disruption to the circadian cycle.
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A decline in vitamin D over the winter months is also implicated, perhaps partly because vitamin D influences an enzyme called tryptophan hydroxylase 2, which helps to turn the amino acid tryptophan into the neurotransmitter serotonin, which in turn can be converted into melatonin.
SAD is not, however, the sole cause of the winter blues. The euphoria and buzz of the holiday season gives way to a lonely and empty hiatus; viral infections leave us in a state of inflammation which can induce depressive symptoms; and, according to a psychological theory known as “social thermoregulation theory”, feeling physically cold can actually make us feel lonelier.
Regular exercise is a natural and effective antidepressant, as most of us know. Here are three more ways to break into a smile and raise your mood if you are feeling a little low this season.
