Blast Out The Winter Blues As Days Grow Darker And Colder!

By Paul A. Philips

Living north of the Earth’s hemisphere at this time of year may well be a challenge to maintaining good health as the days grow darker and colder. Indeed many people may suffer the winter blues with a range of related illnesses.

Okay, there’s quite a range of tablets, tonics and pick-me-ups… available but the suffering may be more complex and problematical than what these remedies can handle.

Do you frequently get the following during winter?
Tiredness / sleepiness / low energy / weariness
Mood ups and downs / tetchiness / tenseness
Constant food cravings / lack of appetite for sex / restlessness
Difficulty in concentrating / react excessively / frequent bouts of sadness…

-Then it may be because you have a condition known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD)…

-There are a number of solutions to this that will indeed allow sufferers to blast out the winter blues!

Spend longer times out in the sunshine: Take advantage by going on walks or do some running or cycling… besides more sunlight exposure exercise is also known to beat depression.

The sun gives rise to increased levels of vitamin D3 and like exercising it can cause increased levels of serotonin the feel good factor chemical in the brain which decreases melatonin levels. Winter’s darker hours have been known to play havoc with sleep cycles having high melatonin levels.

Dietary remedies

Other supplies of vitamin D with high healthy omega-3 fats can be found in cod liver oil and flaxseed oils as part of a healthy diet. Avoid too much high carbohydrate in the diet to help with those moods swings allowing you to go easier on your insulin levels. Always choose organic where you can.

The wonders of Vitamin C

A great way to prevent colds and flu is by using mega-high doses of vitamin C. The trick is to catch the cold at its earliest stage. As soon as you feel the beginning of a cold having that ‘ickle-tickle’ in your throat that’s the time to mega dose.

This involves taking high amounts of vitamin C regularly. For dose amounts get advice online. There are a number of good websites that can advise. It certainly has been effective in stopping me from getting colds. Don’t be put off by those invalidating this. The biggest reason for it not working is due to having not high enough doses of vitamin C at the earliest time… Make sure you buy a good quality Vitamin C complex having bioflavanoids, it’s much better.

Finally

Be it from SAD, colds and flu… Many people don’t need to suffer the winter blues unnecessarily if they make some simple, gradual changes in diet and lifestyle related to the above.