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Do you feel more tired in autumn? Do you have (even more) difficulty getting up in the morning? Are you depressed, do you often catch a cold? When the seasons change, many of us complain about poor health. Often this condition is explained by … lack of sunlight. We suffer not only from an excess of sunlight, but also from a lack of it. Why?
The sun regulates the biochemical processes in the body. The sun is not active enough in autumn, and without ultraviolet radiation, the reaction leading to the synthesis of vitamin D is impossible. This vitamin affects the immune system and mood. In addition, vitamin D improves the body’s susceptibility to magnesium, the lack of which leads to a deterioration in physical condition, insomnia and increased anxiety. People who complain of fatigue and autumn depression most often actually suffer from a lack of vitamin D.
What to do? Vitamin D levels can be partially replenished with animal products. “Vitamin D refers to vitamins that can be both synthesized in our body and stored from outside. In any case, even if we actively spent the summer in the sun, the reserves may only last until the middle of winter. Therefore, vitamin D must come from food, explains Sergey Sergeev, nutritionist, member of the Russian Society of Medical Elementology. – Its main source is fatty fish, more precisely, fish oil, cod liver. Also sources of this vitamin are meat, egg yolk, milk. Natalya Fadeeva, an endocrinologist-nutritionist, a doctor at the MEDEP Family Diet Center, also advises including sea fish dishes with vegetables, as well as foods containing a large amount of calcium: sesame, cheese, cottage cheese, sour-milk products in the daily diet.
Vitamin D can also be taken in gelatin capsules, but you need to be careful here. “Never prescribe the drug to yourself. Recently, cases of hypervitaminosis have become more frequent due to the irrational use of concentrated vitamin solutions. Remember that you can take such drugs only on the recommendation of a doctor, ”warns Natalia Fadeeva.
The sun determines the rhythm of our life. Sunlight affects the chemical balance in the body, which influences our behavior. Psychiatrist David Servan-Schreiber wrote: “Light determines most of the vital instincts, such as hunger and sexual appetite, and even the desire to explore everything new and unknown”*. In addition, light reduces levels of the hormone melatonin, which regulates sleep/wake rhythm. “During the period when dark and twilight times prevail over sunny days, melatonin synthesis can be disturbed, and people often complain of drowsiness, apathy, even depression,” says Natalia Kruglova, nutritionist, member of the National Association of Dietitians and Nutritionists. “The fact is that without sufficient lighting, melatonin is not able to turn into a neurotransmitter – serotonin, which is responsible for many functions in the body, including our mood and activity.”
What to do? To make up for the lack of serotonin, include in your diet foods rich in tryptophan (the amino acid from which serotonin is formed) – dates, bananas, figs, dairy products, dark chocolate.
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- Vitamin D: a place in the sun
The sun is the source of life force. According to experts, in the fall, about 3-8% of the population of the northern countries suffer from the so-called seasonal depression. Women are especially susceptible to it. Among the signs of autumn depression are chronic fatigue and drowsiness, problems with concentration, decreased libido, hypersomnia.
What to do? The required level of sunlight can be achieved with the help of artificial lighting. There are, for example, full spectrum lamps – the radiation distribution curve in them is as close as possible to sunlight, as is the color rendering index. For a more comfortable awakening, special dawn simulators have also been created, often built into alarm clocks. They gradually, over the course of an hour, increase the brightness, imitating sunlight and helping to wake up. You can buy these devices in many online stores (for example, wellness-shop.by, nikkenrus.com, etc.). True, you should prepare in advance for the fact that their price will be relatively high.
Another way to combat autumn depression is luminotherapy. With 10 lux** artificial wide-spectrum light that mimics natural sunlight, you can combat the emotional distress caused by lack of sun in autumn and winter. The duration of the session depends on the power of the ray flux, but on average it is 000 minutes. “Unfortunately, this type of therapy is still not widespread enough in Russia. There are several types of lamps that are used for various procedures – say, the treatment of seasonal affective disorder, cosmetic procedures. However, the duration of the course and the type of lamp should be determined by a specialist, he should also carefully monitor the dynamics of therapy, the patient’s reaction, ”says Ekaterina Markova, psychologist, specialist in socio-psychological issues at the MEDSI International Clinic.
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- Is it possible not to get sick?
Despite the bad weather, do not give up walking! Physical activity helps fight the symptoms of autumn depression. Regular walks in the fresh air for at least one hour a day will help you quickly get in good shape. “On sunny days, you need to be in the fresh air as much as possible so that the sunlight hits your face. This is especially true for those who received little sunlight in the summer, being indoors at work or at home all daylight hours, advises Natalia Fadeeva. – For those who have seen little sun in the summer and do not have the opportunity to travel south in winter, it will be sufficient to visit the solarium once a month for 1 minutes. Before visiting the solarium, it is recommended to consult a doctor, since individual contraindications are possible here.
*David Servan-Schreiber, “Cure stress, anxiety and derpession without drugs or psychoanalysis”, P., 2003.
** Lux is a unit of illumination