Starting work at 7am, in a windowless room, with a short lunch break (I make sure that I get outside) and finishing after 5pm means that I don't see a lot of daylight in winter.
It's not great.
It's not great.
Winter blues.
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Its called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Its a vitamin D deficiency. Due to lack of proper sunlight. I always take supplements from when the clocks go back, to when they go forward (Oct to March) Certain foods help also. Mackerel/oily fish, Liver and Eggs are my go to's. I buy tinned fish in bulk. Not even joking. 30 tins of this every 2 weeks.
Untitled by Mark Hill, on Flickr
by Mark Hill, on Flickr
Untitled by Mark Hill, on Flickr by Mark Hill, on Flickr
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I don´t mind the darkness of autum or the snow and proper cold of winter.
But what I do hate is a winter when it first get proper cold and snowy and then suddenly start to thaw and freeze, thaw and freeze. That means the old snow melts and then freeze again so the roads look a bit like this:
I have rode my bicycle to work a few times in road conditions like this above. Spikes on front tyre; without them biking would have totally impossible.
But even worse road condition is when it thaws during daytime and then freeze during night and in the morning it looks like this; frozen ruts where it is impossible to ride a bicycle.
But what I do hate is a winter when it first get proper cold and snowy and then suddenly start to thaw and freeze, thaw and freeze. That means the old snow melts and then freeze again so the roads look a bit like this:
I have rode my bicycle to work a few times in road conditions like this above. Spikes on front tyre; without them biking would have totally impossible.
But even worse road condition is when it thaws during daytime and then freeze during night and in the morning it looks like this; frozen ruts where it is impossible to ride a bicycle.
The thing that affects me is lingering colds. Having never worked a day indoors in my adult life, I'm pretty sure lack of sunlight isn't as big a problem for me as a lot of other people. As TLM says the damp is the worst and it's especially mild this year in southern England so humidity has been stifling for these last few weeks. I'm sure all this moist air and sweating all day long only protracts what would otherwise be a trivial cold.
Re. lights, I've found warm lighting in the evening, to the point of looking red, helps me get off to sleep, having never been a brilliant sleeper. Set your devices to sunset mode if you're using them and have some reddish ambient light. Every little helps!
Re. lights, I've found warm lighting in the evening, to the point of looking red, helps me get off to sleep, having never been a brilliant sleeper. Set your devices to sunset mode if you're using them and have some reddish ambient light. Every little helps!
It's well known that blue light affects melatonin in the body and can disrupt sleep.
While the 'daylight bulbs' recommended for SAD with a high colour temperature work for some to brighten up the day, in the evenings I need 'vintage' LED bulbs with a cosy orangey glow, 1700K colour temeperature. Even some of the 'warm white' bulbs mentioned earlier in the thread are still too high in colour temp for me and geuinely do affect my ability to nod off.
I take one of these about 20-30 mins before going to sleep: https://www.biovea.com/uk/product/d...tarian-tablets/?deptid=22&cid=23699&mid=0&kw=
Weirdly it's illegal to sell over the counter in the UK without a prescription, but it's perfectly legal to buy it from abroad and to own it/take it. Most countries just sell it at the shop.
I find it helpful, yes. The main benefit I find is that my REM sleep stages last a bit longer, but I do think it helps me nod off in the first place as well.
Yeah, it's for those who struggle with sleep.
It's also prescribed here for jet lag by online pharmacies simply by telling them 'it is for jet lag', it's just super expensive if you go this route.
I love all of the seasons. Each one has some sort of unique element which I really enjoy in different ways - especially winter
Winter used to be cold, damp and hard work until I invested in proper good quality clothing and now I look forward to braving the elements outside. For example there is something special about sitting in windy subzero temperatures feeling warm and snug as a bug dressed up like and Eskimo with the ear flaps of my trapper hat pinned down tight while reading Terry Pratchett and enjoying a mug of coffee and slice of cake. It has a unique eccentric fun of its own which makes reading a book while sun bathing in the summer (which is also nice) feel almost boring by comparison and I can't help but find myself looking forward to the winter to do it again.
Winter used to be cold, damp and hard work until I invested in proper good quality clothing and now I look forward to braving the elements outside. For example there is something special about sitting in windy subzero temperatures feeling warm and snug as a bug dressed up like and Eskimo with the ear flaps of my trapper hat pinned down tight while reading Terry Pratchett and enjoying a mug of coffee and slice of cake. It has a unique eccentric fun of its own which makes reading a book while sun bathing in the summer (which is also nice) feel almost boring by comparison and I can't help but find myself looking forward to the winter to do it again.
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Does it take time to build up to a set level / routine? I'm just wondering if it would break a cycle of struggling to sleep rather than regular use.
I don't think you need to use it routinely, as they prescribe it very short term for helping recover from jet lag. I noticed it the first night, but your mileage may vary and I'm not a doctor so wouldn't want to speak too conclusively.
Camomile tea, or any of the herbal sleepy,/nighttime teas, with real honey instead of sugar if you need to sweeten are far gentler on your body than drugs of any sort, plus you can grow your own and the cost is then practically nothing.
I used to use St John's wort herbal tablets for mood elevation, and they realy work, tho it takes a few days to realy get the benefit. I can't take St John's wort any more, sadly, as it interferes (I'm told) with most heart drugs.
I'm going to see a medical herbalist tomorrow, so I'll get clarification on that.
Perhaps that's why I'm feeling in a lower mood that usual and so much earlier in the season as I'm no longer taking it.
Perhaps she can help with something else I'm not aware of. Fingers crossed.
I used to use St John's wort herbal tablets for mood elevation, and they realy work, tho it takes a few days to realy get the benefit. I can't take St John's wort any more, sadly, as it interferes (I'm told) with most heart drugs.
I'm going to see a medical herbalist tomorrow, so I'll get clarification on that.
Perhaps that's why I'm feeling in a lower mood that usual and so much earlier in the season as I'm no longer taking it.
Perhaps she can help with something else I'm not aware of. Fingers crossed.
I think the vit D thing is important (just remember to take it with K2 and make sure you have enough Vit A and magnesium in your diet).
Goals are also important though, I need to set myself goals otherwise I would drift. There's also a cold-type bug doing the rounds which seems to make one feel down- I had it about 3 weeks ago and I felt really down with it. Weird.
There's also a very "down" vibe in general society at the moment, worries about the news/budget etc and seemingly no solutions. It's so easy to get into the doom loop, so I stopped watching any news in the end and also cleared my you tube history plus culled my subscriptions to genuinely interesting/positive channels. Too easy to get sucked in by the algorithm.
The weather hasn't helped. But- the autumn leaves have been glorious this year.
I have also had to remind myself not to beat myself up, with the move there was so much to do, and still al ot to do..... but pacing myself with realistic (rather than optimistic) expectations has been important.
I always have a jigsaw on the go now, good for chilly evenings.
GC
Goals are also important though, I need to set myself goals otherwise I would drift. There's also a cold-type bug doing the rounds which seems to make one feel down- I had it about 3 weeks ago and I felt really down with it. Weird.
There's also a very "down" vibe in general society at the moment, worries about the news/budget etc and seemingly no solutions. It's so easy to get into the doom loop, so I stopped watching any news in the end and also cleared my you tube history plus culled my subscriptions to genuinely interesting/positive channels. Too easy to get sucked in by the algorithm.
The weather hasn't helped. But- the autumn leaves have been glorious this year.
I have also had to remind myself not to beat myself up, with the move there was so much to do, and still al ot to do..... but pacing myself with realistic (rather than optimistic) expectations has been important.
I always have a jigsaw on the go now, good for chilly evenings.
GC
Not sure if it's been mentioned on here before, but if it has here's a reminder. There's a simple way to get plenty of Vit D in naturally.
Buy mushrooms with open cups. Twist off stem, leave gills expose to direct sunlight for 20 mins to an hour.
This boosts Vitamin D content of the gills, and it isn't subsequently lost on cooking.
Buy mushrooms with open cups. Twist off stem, leave gills expose to direct sunlight for 20 mins to an hour.
This boosts Vitamin D content of the gills, and it isn't subsequently lost on cooking.
Well, my last post talked of St John's wort, and trying to find an alternative. I'm told saffron is the thing...Well that's me out. It's far too expensive.
Incidently I'm have perked up since I put up this thread. It was an awful day (lights on at midday )and I just felt " meh "
Couldn't settle to anything. One of those days I guess, British weather can be so depressing at times.
I've added vit d, and eating mushrooms,...just the normal sort before anyone asks!
Incidently I'm have perked up since I put up this thread. It was an awful day (lights on at midday )and I just felt " meh "
Couldn't settle to anything. One of those days I guess, British weather can be so depressing at times.
I've added vit d, and eating mushrooms,...just the normal sort before anyone asks!
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