A photo of a very cold and snowy city as a person walks in front of a bus to represent the topic of the article - Winter Months Survival Guide For Getting Through The Winter Season

Winter Months: Survival Guide For Getting Through The Cold

The winter months can be pretty cold, dark, and bleak, even though we start it off with Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations. They can be hard to get through because it’s dark when we wake up and dark when we get home from school, university, and work. So I thought I’d put together this survival guide.

 

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Contents show

 

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

 

SAD is a subset of depression where people who have normal levels of mental health at other times of year can sink into depression at a certain point in the year, usually in winter (Wikipedia, Mind, and WebMD). According to Cleveland Clinic, 5% of Americans have SAD with 10-20% of the American population having a milder form of SAD, nicknamed the winter blues. This means what works for SAD will work for anyone with its milder sibling, the winter blues, to help you through the winter months.

 

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The Winter Months Survival Guide

 

Vitamin D

Less sun exposure in the winter months can lead to vitamin D deficiency. The darker your skin, the more at risk you are of having a vitamin D deficiency. As a Black person, I’ve had to be prescribed vitamin D a few times because my vitamin D levels are on the very low side. I was given an extremely high dose to bring my levels back to within the normal range. As such, I’ve started taking vitamin D every day to avoid my level dropping that low again.

 

Vitamin D is important because it can affect our serotonin production, an important neurotransmitter which helps regulate our mood. This disruption can make us feel depressed, but also affects our sex drive, sleep, memory, and appetite.

 

This is supported by Melrose (2015), who states that a systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that low levels of vitamin D were linked to depression. Melrose goes on to say that vitamin D should be taken before the winter darkness sets in to help prevent winter depression. So it makes sense that as the days get shorter, and the sunsets earlier, we’re at more risk of SAD and the winter blues.

 

The picture is split in two with the top image being of a white woman in a big coat and hat, laying in the snow making a snow angel. The bottom image being of a white woman sitting on a black pebble beach in winter, looking out at the sea. The two images are separated by the article title - Winter Months Survival Guide For Getting Through The Winter Season

 

Light Exposure

According to WebMD, some researchers have linked SAD to the natural hormone melatonin, which causes drowsiness in response to darkness. The Cleveland Clinic has also said that the lack of sunlight could be overstimulating the production of melatonin, causing us to feel tired and sluggish.

 

Thus, the winter months will affect our circadian rhythms, or our sleep-wake cycle. This cycle helps keep everything working normally as it should, whereas disturbances to it can mess up our entire day.

 

I was given melatonin tablets to help with my insomnia as a natural, nonaddictive sleeping tablet. However, it had an unfortunate side effect or interaction with my beta-blocker for my heart condition, causing heart palpitations, so I had to report it to Yellow Card.

 

If darkness causes the release of melatonin, then the opposite should be true, shouldn’t it? According to Mind, they don’t believe there is enough evidence to support the use of light exposure and light therapy to help get through the winter months and to help manage SAD. However, they don’t go so far as to dismiss the use of light exposure and light therapy.

 

Kurlansik and Ibay (2012) believe differently to Mind, stating that although light exposure and light therapy have had issues with finding an acceptable placebo to conduct studies (something Westrin and Lam, 2007, also stated), several systematic reviews and meta-analyses of light therapy studies show such treatments as being effective for SAD.

 

Personally, before the pandemic started, how easy it was for me to wake up and start functioning in the morning was always affected by when the sun rose and how much light would come in through my window. So in spring and summer, I’d wake up early, often at 5-6am, while in winter I’d struggled to get up before 10am.

 

If we can work with people with SAD, then it could also potentially help all of us cope with the cold and dark winter months. This can be done by using a lightbox or having a daylight alarm clock.

 

 

Getting outside

Going outside, especially in the morning, will help expose you to natural light, and the effects of natural daylight will still be effective even when it’s cloudy outside. You could do this by taking a short walk when you wake up, having your morning coffee outside, or you could sit in front of the window that’s facing the sun while having breakfast. Support for this comes from Melrose (2015) who stated that low levels of vitamin D are associated with little outdoor exposure to natural light.

 

Exercise

Exercising, ideally, for 30 minutes a day, five times a week, will also help. If you need help with achieving this exercise requirement, then why not check out my review of a yoga app by clicking here, or read my article on how to keep exercise interesting, by clicking here? Oh, and if you’re a goth and/or like a bit of metal, I’ve also got your exercise needs covered. Just click here.

 

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Diet

According to Parker et al. (2006) and Larrieu and Layé (2018), eating omega-3 fats can help improve our moods. For a list of some of the food items with the best levels of omega-3 fats, check out BBC Good Food by clicking here. You’ll be happy to know that not all the suggestions are fish.

 

Support for this comes from Melrose (2015), who believed insufficient dietary intake could cause low levels of vitamin D, which is important to serotonin production.

 

As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, please share your experiences of SAD, the winter blues, and getting through the winter months in the comments section below as well. Don’t forget to bookmark my site and if you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, then sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, get push notifications for new articles by clicking the red bell icon in the bottom right corner.

 

Lastly, if you’d like to support my blog, you can make a donation of any size below. Until next time, Unwanted Life readers.

 

 

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References

 

Kurlansik, S. L., & Ibay, A. D. (2012). Seasonal affective disorder. American family physician, 86(11), 1037-1041. Retrieved from https://www.aafp.org/afp/2012/1201/p1037.html.

Larrieu, T., & Layé, S. (2018). Food for Mood: Relevance of Nutritional Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Depression and Anxiety. Frontiers in physiology, 9, 1047. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.01047 and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6087749.

Melrose, S. (2015). Seasonal affective disorder: an overview of assessment and treatment approaches. Depression research and treatment, 2015. Retrieved from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/drt/2015/178564 and https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/178564.

Parker, G., Gibson, N. A., Brotchie, H., Heruc, G., Rees, A. M., & Hadzi-Pavlovic, D. (2006). Omega-3 fatty acids and mood disorders. The American journal of psychiatry, 163(6), 969–978. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.2006.163.6.969 and https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/ajp.2006.163.6.969.

Westrin, Ã…., & Lam, R. W. (2007). Seasonal affective disorder: a clinical update. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 19(4), 239-246. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10401230701653476.

60 thoughts on “Winter Months: Survival Guide For Getting Through The Cold”

  2. This post is really helpful with some really important information. I am definitely going to take each day as it comes and look after myself physically and mentally.

  3. These are all useful tips. I try to adopt them all over the winter to keep my energy levels up. I bought a light therapy lamp last year because I was concerned about the combined effect of winter darkness and being at home more because of the pandemic. It seems to help.

  5. This is so useful! I’ve always wanted to get a light box and have heard lots of good things about it, so I might buy myself one as a Christmas present!

  7. I currently was told I need to take vitamin D. I live in the state of Florida and I assumed I was getting enough sun but never new I need to take vitamin D until I did a blood test. I’m glad I found out and I do feel much better since taking vitamin D. I take this on top of my daily vitamins.

  8. I think todays post will really help a lot of people during these darker times. You’ve shared some great tips which I really appreciate. I actually started taking Vitamin D a couple of years ago and it defiantly works during these winter months. Thank you so much for sharing! Xo

    Elle – ellegracedeveson.com

  9. These are great tips! I suffer from seasonal depression and getting more vitamin D plus a light therapy lamp has helped me a ton around this time of year.

  11. Very good tips here. I always have Vitamin D but in winter it is of higher power than summer. There is really no substitute for exercise. I have to keep reminding myself to do that every day. A light Therapy Lamp is my next wishlist item for Christmas. Thank you for reminding me to add it.
    Best,
    Dee

  12. I have noticed my transition into the winter months is always a little rocky as I adjust to a new sleep pattern and try to get outside even when it is chilly, so I loved reading your tips on how omega-3, sunshine, and exercise can help keep the body and mind healthy!
    Thanks for sharing. 🙂

  13. This is such an important topic as so many people struggle with this. I think exercise is so important during the winter I think that’s what made lockdown so difficult so everyone. This is a super helpful list thank you for sharing.

  17. Great informative post. I notice it is cold outside, I don’t want to go outside, and I am sleepier.

  19. Vitamin D supplementation is very important here in the US. I take them everyday, all year. Living in NYC, work a 9 -5 locked up in the office most of the day. Moreover, the winter months we are not exposed to sunlight. These factors puts us at risk for Vitamin D deficiency.

    Sunlight is not only needed for our body to make Vitamin D, but it puts us in a good mood and boost our mental health. ? â›± ? ? I strongly believe that the frequent exposure to sunlight is one of the reasons why people from the caribbean is rated the happiest people in the world ?.

  22. Since moving to Denmark, I definitely feel like I long for longer sunnier days. Pretty much everyone here is recommended to take vitamin d in the winter due to the shorter days & they sell light therapy lamps, which I know some people use & find beneficial.
    I personally find it beneficial going outside during the daylight & walks are always nice.

  23. You ain’t lying…things really are just different in the winter. I have friends who use sun lamps and swear by them to get the vitamin D they need to keep going. Good article!

  25. That was such an interesting post to read! I didn’t know about how your complexion can put you at risk of vitamin D deficiency. It makes so much sense though, I’m have very very light skin and feel absolutely awful when it’s extremely hot and sunny.

  26. I must admit that I suffer a bit from seasonal blues during the winter. A few years ago, I bought a day light therapy lamp to help me on those grey days without sunshine. Exposure to the light of this lamp makes a difference for me, because I feel better when I use it. I think I also need to seriously consider taking vitamin D, because as a black person I need it in the winter. I’ve always neglected it, but I’m going to get on it this year. Thanks for sharing.

  27. Excellent post. This is a very important topic and several are dealing with this. Vitamin D is so necessary. Taking walks outside is a wonderful suggestion. I also wrote about this topic. Thank you for sharing.

    Pastor Natalie
    Letstakeamoment.com

  28. This was such a great post full of tips! I noticed that I get more sleepy and tired during winter, so I need to check to get some Vitamin D supplements and check more my diet for that. I have heard a lot about light therapy and it sounds like something to try! Thanks for sharing x

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