Winter time: how to deal with less daylight hours

Every year, we’re exposed to seasonal changes that entail changes to schedules and exposure to sunlight. During the summer months there are more hours of light, but they are considerably reduced in winter. Although you may think you’re used to the fluctuations in daylight hours, the body needs to adapt in order to continue to function correctly.

The changes in light have a considerable effect on us, as our circadian rhythms, which regulate our waking and sleeping hours, are affected by light. But these changes don’t just affect human beings, most living beings are affected, even microbes.

To cope with this lack of light, it is recommended to adapt slowly and in degrees, a few days before the official seasonal change, in order to mitigate the effects on concentration and the performance of our daily activities.

Here are a few basic recommendations:

Follow a sleep routine. Try to go to bed at the same time and prepare yourself a few hours in advance to rest by not eating a big dinner, consuming stimulants, or using electronic devices.

Wake up with the natural light. Provided your routine allows it, it’s better to wake up with the natural light. It’s the body’s way of activating itself and getting ready for the day. In order to function well, during the day, our body segregates serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitters that help us to become active physically and psychologically, and boost attention and our performance.

Take full advantage of the natural light, both to work and to rest. It’s a good idea to go for a walk during your lunch break for direct exposure to sunlight. If you're working from home, you can place your workstation in the best place to receive natural light.

Exercise. When we exercise, we release a series of neurotransmitters which include serotonin and dopamine which put us in a positive frame of mind and help us feel more energetic. This helps to combat the negative effects of daylight change on our emotional wellbeing.

Light therapy. It consists of using specially designed lamps that reach an intensity close to that of sunlight.

These lamps emit more than 10,000 lux, which is a unit of light measurement. To give you an idea, sunlight ranges between 50,000 and 100,000 lux. That means it’s brighter and more intense. An average daily exposure of half an hour to light therapy lamps is enough to deal with the problems derived from the lack of light suffered by some persons.

Melatonin and electronic devices

Melatonin is present in the entire process of regulating circadian rhythms, as a hormone whose production is triggered when daylight begins to fade, and it prepares us for sleep. Apart from the hours of sunlight, another aspect that interferes with melatonin production is the use of electronic devices before going to bed. If we are exposed to light from screens, our body delays melatonin release, thereby delaying the time at which we rest.

When to consult a doctor?

When the hours of daylight are reduced, the production of serotonin and dopamine undergo changes, which are felt by our body. Therefore, and in order to better adapt to this process of daylight hour reduction, it’s best to take things slow. The first days consist of adaptation. If you notice that as time passes, you feel dull, lethargic or depressed, the first step must always be to seek medical advice, for a proper assessment of the situation and to determine whether this emotional malaise is due to seasonal change and the lack of natural light. Remember that light therapy can help you in these cases.