This is the final instalment of The Winter Blahs, and how to avoid them. Here are a few more ways we can beat the winter blahs, by getting enough sun and sleep.

1) Lack of sunlight

Now you might think that living in Spain, we get lots of sun. We do, but a lot of people just don’t take advantage of the sun. Why do we need sun? Well, we are light sensitive and pretty much solar powered, and short gloomy winter days can make us feel miserable after a while. Sometimes the effects can be so severe, that they warrant a diagnosis of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), this is way more common in the more northern countries where winter daylight hours are in short supply. But SAD is very real and can result in depression with symptoms such as sadness, irritability, tiredness, body pain, insomnia and cravings for carbohydrates.

Vitamin D is called “the sunshine vitamin” – with good reason.

• Maintains strong bones – when skin is exposed to sunlight, (about 15-20 minutes a day is more than enough if you have fair skin), it manufactures vitamin D from a form of cholesterol. Vitamin D is crucial to the body and has many roles including for example, instructing cells in the gut to absorb phosphorus & calcium, two minerals that are essential for maintaining strong and healthy bones. Being outside in the sun is therefore an excellent way to combat osteoporosis.
• Strengthens the immune system – vitamin D is a key element for boosting the immune system, so consistent exposure to the sun can aid in strengthening it. Reducing the risk of infections, some cancers and mortality after surgery are all the job of the immune system, so get your daily dose of sun.
• Stress reduction – The hormone, melatonin reduces stress reactivity and being in the sunny outdoors helps the body to naturally regulate melatonin thus reducing stress levels. The bonus here is if you're outdoors you're probably doing some form of exercise (walking, gardening, playing etc.), which also helps reduce stress.
• Combats depression – We feel better when its sunny and we are in it and the science says that sunshine boosts the bodies other happy hormone, serotonin, which helps the body stay calm and focused as well as improving the mood and keeping us cheerful.
• Improves sleep – The hormone melatonin is responsible for helping us sleep and it goes into production when its dark, which is why we feel sleepy a few hours after sunset. With the longer summer days we naturally stay up later and research indicates that you will have better sleep with an hour of natural light in the morning. Sunshine also regulates the bodies circadian rhythm by instructing the body when to decrease or increase melatonin levels. Bottom line, more daylight exposure = better production of melatonin when its bedtime.

2) Poor sleep.

The quality of our sleep plays a fundamental role in our quality of life, as inadequate or poor sleep is a leading cause of fatigue. Serious potential health issues related to poor sleep quality and chronic sleep deprivation are; diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure or stroke, with other potential problems including depression, obesity, compromised immunity and lowered sex drive.

Sleep is also important to a myriad of brain functions, including how neurons (nerve cells) communicate with each other; the brain and body don’t sleep when you do, your sleeping time is when they go to work, doing housekeeping and cleaning that removes toxins in the brain that build up while you are awake. Lack of regular good quality sleep even affects how we look (and can age us), as poor quality sleep creates fine lines, reduced elasticity and uneven pigmentation. Simply put, poor sleep diminishes the skins ability to rejuvenate and repair itself and makes us look older. So be sure to get the best nights sleep, every night.

You can boost your energy naturally with some iron, Korean or Siberian ginseng & B-complex vitamins.

We can provide nutritional & exercise advice to help find the best balance for your body. So if you want good quality sleep, want to feel better or just want to talk to someone, simply pop in to, or call, VaVa Complementary Health and Wellbeing, and let us take care of you.

Namaste, Ashlí

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