“It’s spring, hello hello swallows” and goodbye to the winter blues … But in fact why the prolonged winter leaves us all knocked out? All, it is perhaps a little excessive. It is necessary, I believe, to distinguish between two great causes.
The first encompasses the consequences of all infections caused by germs that many of us suffer from in the winter. It used to be said that antibiotic treatments were tiring. It was a misconception. You know that we consume less and yet fatigue remains: it is obviously the infection that tires you, and much more than you might think! So, you have to take your pain patiently.
The second big cause, in fact, for others, those who have not been sick, this feeling of underperformance and lack of energy seems largely simply to be related to the lack of light. This drop in brightness is also very well calculated. On a beautiful summer day, the brightness is 50,000 lux – it’s a unit of measurement – against 500 at the worst of winter. There is an established link between mood and light, known for a long time. We know that indeed, below 2000 lux, some of us feel bad, which explains these so-called “seasonal” depressions.
We may wonder if it is not excessive to talk about depression in front of signs as simple as a slightly unstable mood or a lack of enthusiasm. In fact, it all depends on the degree of suffering. If you are irritable with your colleagues at work, less efficient, that you throw yourself on sweets or that you spend too much time sleeping, it is because indeed, you are missing the light. If each of these symptoms ends up ruining your life, then we can actually suggest depression. It is estimated that 10% of French people suffer more than others from darkening, women moreover a little more than men.
So what should be done? The richest can afford skiing or a trip to the sun, but the rest? There is indeed a treatment: light therapy. It consists of standing under a lamp that diffuses 10,000 lux of light for 30 minutes a day. You can find some of these lamps in stores, but it is better to talk to your doctor, because there may be contraindications in the eyes.
However, even if this works quite well, the lack of light is not the only explanation. Another phenomenon is undoubtedly, especially among older people, inactivity caused by cold and bad weather conditions. We tend to go out less. Moreover, it is similar to the lack of light, because it is indisputable that a walk at very clear hours of the day has an indisputable double beneficial effect.
We can add that in winter, we need more calories, and that diet must play a role. But you want me to tell you what I really think? Well, in the face of all the health problems that I shower you with all year round, these symptoms don’t have the same seriousness. So, a little patience and above all – it’s spring – resume physical activity, which remains the best advice in all categories, far ahead of the others.
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