So we bid farewell to our yellow loving days of summer and say holla to blue, dark and cold nights ahead!
Funny but true, humans are affected by and respond to the amount of light we receive. In the winter months, when it’s dark and depressing, the amount of melatonin (a sedating type of hormone) in our bodies increase up to five times as much.

Bright light ordinarily causes our bodies to stop producing melatonin, but in the winter not enough sunlight is received to trigger this response, causing “winter blues”. If serious, it could become SAD, where symptoms of depression—feeling as if one is constantly on tranquilizers—increase. Other symptoms include erratic sleeping patterns, daytime drowsiness, a lack of sex drive, feelings of guilt and a bleak emotional state and an inability to complete tasks.

Get over the winter blues and start living! Here’s a few suggestions to get you started:

• Keep all your blinds and curtains open all day and night
• Take a long and rigorous mid-day walk. The exercise will boost your mood
• If you can afford it, take a short trip somewhere sunny. This will also give you something to look forward to
• Reduce your fat, alcohol and caffeine intake, cut out sugar, wheat and fried foods and load of up on raw fruits and vegetables.
• Find a new hobby or make plans so as to make sure your days are full – giving you less time to sit around doing nothing