As the days get colder and the hours of daylight are rapidly declining, a lot of people report that their mood is negatively impacted. The first thing to remember is that you are not alone in this feeling, there is nothing wrong with YOU, try not to give yourself a hard time. Now, there are a few things you can try, which might help.
Light it Up
As it gets colder and darker, we spend a lot more time inside than during the summer months. This reduces our exposure to natural light, which can have a huge impact on our serotonin production. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to boost mood - we have receptors in our eyes that stimulate the production of serotonin in response to light exposure.
You might guess where I’m going with this…exposure to daylight in the early part of the day - as soon after waking as possible, can help to boost your mood. When it’s cloudy, you need to stay outside for longer. If you are put off by the weather at the moment or simply cannot get outside then another option is to try a SAD lamp (SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder). Switching on your SAD lamp at a strength of 10 000 Luxe for 30 minutes per day helps the body to produce serotonin in the morning and helps to support the circadian rhythm of the body.
Deficient in The Sunshine Vitamin?
Get your vitamin D levels checked. One of vitamin D’s functions in the body is to support your mood. If you feel like you’re struggling, mention this to your GP and ask whether it’s possible to have a blood test to check.
There is a general guidance to take a vitamin D supplement of 400IU daily between October to March in the UK, for some people (a lot of people) this dose just isn’t going to cut it. The best thing to do is to check your levels and then get the support of a practitioner to make sure that you are taking an appropriate dose.
There is also a caveat here, which is that, just because something falls within a ‘normal’ reference range, doesn't always means optimal - feel free to get in touch if you have questions about this.
NB - it is also absolutely possible to overdo it with vitamin D - please remember more isn’t always better, dosage is important.
Food for Mood
What’s my next top tip? I’m glad you asked. This is another one to support our serotonin levels and that is to make sure you are getting enough roods rich in tryptophan. What the hell is that? Oh, sure, it’s an amino acid, which is the precursor to serotonin - that’s our mood boosting neurotransmitter from earlier. It is also the precursor to melatonin, our sleep hormone.
So what kind of foods are rich in tryptophan? As you can imagine, as an amino acid, protein-rich foods are a good source;
Chicken
Eggs
Cheese
Fish
Milk
Turkey
Veggie sources of tryptophan:
Peanuts
Pumpkin + Sesame Seeds
Tofu + Soy
This isn’t an exhaustive list and if you’ve tried all of the above, why not take a look at my previous post on the microbiome - as this could be having a big impact on your mood <3