‘Tis the tough season for some
As I sit glancing out the window of a local coffee house, 24 hours before the Winter Solstice, one can feel the energy, the frustration, the excitement, the fear, the confusion, the anticipation, and in some cases, the relief that we are finally almost 鈥渙ver the hump鈥� of the shortest day of the year.
For some, the distraction of holiday shopping, family events, parades, TV specials, and endless holiday music on the radio is enough to numb them from feeling the classic seasonal doldrums. But if you are one of those who reacts with real physical symptoms including listlessness and depression, you may want to consider a more deliberate course of action.
In a column on nutrition and health, we must recognize that our environment and our state of mind profoundly affect our metabolism, our energy for exercise, and our will power to make decisions in the interest of better health. If we are laid out on the couch counting the hours until spring, we are in danger of failing to live for a third of the year, and setting ourselves back on our journey toward our best self.
So how might we help ourselves, and what are some prime areas of concern ?
The primary driver for this entire discussion is the extreme shortage of daylight. This seems to trigger our annual clock, called the Circadium Rythym, and while it may be perfectly natural to have a certain degree of 鈥渄own time,鈥� entering into an excessive 鈥渧egetable鈥� state is normally reserved for the bears in caves. If you manage to successfully hibernate without undue physical or financial hardship, more power to you, but most of us need to find a middle ground.
There are remedies to ease the harshness of only nine hours and 19 minutes of daylight on Dec. 21 versus 15 hours and two minutes on July 21. That鈥檚 38 percent less daylight! In case that doesn鈥檛 sink in, that鈥檚 over ONE THIRD less light. I don鈥檛 think we need pie graphs and white boards to convince you that鈥檚 no small deficit.
One possible remedy is the use of a 鈥渓ight box,鈥� which is simply that: an illuminated box with full-spectrum bulbs (these most closely mimic the sun), that can be sat on your desk, or next to you on a table. Another device is a light hat, which you wear on your head. It is battery powered, and shines light from above, as would the sun. These may be 鈥減recription only鈥� in some places, so you may need to ask a doctor about them. Some research suggests it is most effective in the morning. A cousin of the light box is the 鈥渄awn simulator.鈥� It鈥檚 a sort of light-therapy alarm clock. It wakes you up with gradual increase of light instead of music or beeping. It sits on a night table where an alarm clock or lamp normally would.
Perhaps the least surprising, yet most difficult to swallow, advice is 鈥� you guessed it 鈥� exercise. Now before you roll your eyes, please know I absolutely understand the not wanting to go out jogging, or bicycling, or even hiking. For those who can, great. A treadmill or stair climber in a sunny room is an excellent alternative. Or if you live like I do, collecting, chopping, and stacking firewood keeps my blood pumping whether I want to or not. Please understand that its okay if you do these activities with less 鈥渦mph鈥� than you might have in April. Regardless, any physical activity is better than none when fighting the seasonal blah. To the extent that you can take the cold, try to get outside. If you ski, or ice skate, or snow shoe, etc., that鈥檚 probably the best way to be out, get exercise and have some winter fun.
Keeping an early rise schedule can help as well. If you sleep until 9 or 10 a.m., you have now shortened your light from nine to six hours. During this time, early-to-bed-early-to-rise might be the best doctor鈥檚 orders.
If it鈥檚 in the budget, I always try to get myself a week of sun somewhere in January or February. From the southwestern Pennsylvania area, we can be in the Carolinas by car in seven or eight hours. I was lucky enough to visit southern California a couple times, and I had family in Nevada. Always gave me a major boost to feel some sun right in the middle of the winter beast.
As far as foods and nutrients, at the top of the list is Vitamin D. We make Vitamin D from the sun, so it makes sense that we鈥檇 be deficient by late December. Our brothers and sisters visiting tanning booths may have a small edge here, but I am not a big advocate of those machines. 鈥淎in鈥檛 nothin鈥� like the real thing,鈥� in my humble opinion. We are all individual, and not all vitamin D products are equally bio-available, so I recommend consulting a competent natural healer, of which there are many in the Pittsburgh area. In terms of food sources, fatty fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, rainbow trout), fish oils (like cod liver oil), fortified milk and egg yolks are some of the richest sources of vitamin D. I always recommend wild-caught fish, and organic dairy (raw if available).
The principles of better quality food still apply here, and in fact more so. In light of the usual lineup of sweets at the holidays, exercise the same level of good sense and moderation always suggested. Good snacking choices include non-GMO popcorn, shredded wheat squares, 70 percent cacao dark chocolate, celery or non-GMO corn chips with guacamole are just a few examples. When it comes to meals, make dinner your main carbohydrate-containing meal. That鈥檚 because evening is usually the time when the symptoms of seasonal blah are at their strongest 鈥� and so is the urge to gorge on sugary snacks. Eating healthier carbs, like lentils, brown rice and sweet potatoes, may help fight that urge.
Hopefully, you are taking away the message that we are not victims. We can make choices that have real positive effects on our seasonal mood and energy challenges.
Happy holidays, one and all.