Sometimes, it’s so cold and so wet that it hardly feels worth getting out of bed. Many of us feel more sluggish and moody during these times counting the days until summer returns.
But is weather really to blame for our lack of motivation and dip in mood?
According to Mirin Shin and Emiliana Tonini from the ‘Brain and Mind Centre’ at the University of Sydney, there is actually some truth to it,
“The temperature, the air pressure, all these small things in the environment can actually affect your mood.”
However, the biggest factor behind these seasonal mood swings? Light.
During the colder, rainier months, people tend to stay inside a lot more and that means missing out on the sunlight our bodies need to stay balanced and energized.
“During the summertime people tend to exercise more… but in the wintertime we have less daylight so people try to stay in indoors, that may result in more depressive symptoms.”
While winter days are shorter and darker, natural light exposure remains essential.
“The difference of light intensity between inside the building and outside is a lot. So, when we are inside… it’s about 100 lux but when we go outside immediately it’s thousands of lux, and so even if it’s gloomy outside… It’s good to go outside.”
Shin and Tonini recommend getting outdoors regularly and sticking to a consistent daily routine to help manage winter blues.
Unfortunately, it looks like there is more rain coming for Sydney this year. But with this advice maybe it won’t feel as bad.
Image courtesy of wal_172619 on Pixabay.
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