How to Beat the Winter Blues

May 15, 2023

In the Southern Hemisphere, residents are preparing for the advent of winter. Colder, darker months affect everyone differently. As the nights get shorter, you may experience the feeling of ‘winter blues’. The gloomy weather can either create, or exacerbate symptoms like irritability, depression, and lack of motivation. This is a real condition, as the effect of sunlight on mood is a very prevalent thing. To an extreme, this may be labelled Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Exposure to natural light can be a good way to improve your mood and bring an upbeat energy to your living space. 

What causes seasonal depression?

Several theories seek to explain this phenomenon. One theory is related to the lack of sunlight during the winter months, which can disrupt the body’s natural circadian rhythm. 

This disruption can cause changes in the production of certain hormones, such as melatonin and serotonin, which can impact mood and energy levels. Melatonin is a hormone your body produces in response to darkness, which affects your quality and length of sleep. Serotonin, alternatively, can be produced when exposure to sun is felt. This hormone helps regulate mood and keeps you feeling emotionally stable. Not enough of this can have detrimental effects on productivity and mood.

Additionally, the shorter days and longer nights can lead to a lack of vitamin D, which can also impact mood. Finally, the stress and social isolation that can come with the holidays can also contribute to feelings of sadness and depression during the winter months. While the exact causes may not be fully understood, it is clear that many individuals experience these symptoms during the winter months and that there are effective ways to combat them.

How to combat it

How exactly do skylights help combat the winter blues? For starters, they allow more natural light into your home, which can improve your mood and energy levels. Natural light also helps regulate the production of melatonin, a hormone that controls sleep and wakefulness. By increasing the amount of natural light in your home, you can help regulate your body’s sleep-wake cycle and improve the quality of your sleep. This can be beneficial to counteract the slumps in productivity that accompany seasonal affective conditions. So if you feel like your blinds aren’t providing enough natural light, or your entranceways and stairways are looking gloomy, contact Natural Lighting Products for a free quote.

In conclusion, winter can be a challenging time for many people, and the lack of natural light can contribute to feelings of sadness and low energy. Fortunately, installing skylights in your home can be a simple and effective way to combat these symptoms. By increasing exposure to natural light, improving sleep quality, reducing indoor pollutants, improving energy efficiency, and increasing home value, skylights offer a range of benefits for homeowners.