Prioritising your mental health and wellbeing is challenging in the winter months as the daylight hours dwindle, bad weather is more common and the cold sets in. During winter, our bodies adjust to the reduced sunlight by producing more melatonin (Influencing sleep) and less serotonin (a key chemical in regulating mood). This can contribute to feelings of low mood, fatigue or even Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
1. Prioritise good sleep
Getting the recommended seven hours of sleep per night is important for restoring the body and improving energy levels. In winter, this can prove more difficult to maintain a sleeping routine. A lack of sleep can have a negative impact on the ability to think clearly, form memories, learn well, and function optimally during the day. Through adjusting to the darker nights and colder climates, our bodies produce an increase in melatonin (known as the ‘sleep hormone’) earlier in the day which leads to feelings of fatigue, sluggishness and low mood and make it more difficult to sleep at night.
To prioritise good sleep, consider:
- Maintaining a sleep schedule: keeping a routine of similar wake up and bedtimes can help your body adjust to a natural sleeping pattern.
- Try light therapy: Until days get substantially longer in spring, light therapy helps wakefulness, mood and sleep.
- Switch off screens before bed: Winter is the prime time to binge our favourite TV shows… But phones, tablets and laptops all emit blue light, which mimics the sun and disrupts our melatonin production. If you’re struggling to put these down before bed, consider a blue light reducing screen protector.
Further reading: How to get a great night’s sleep | Westfield Health
2. Focus on nutrition
Winter comes hand-in-hand with flu season, coughs and colds. With lower energy levels, it can be easier to opt for comfort foods over healthier options filled with nutrients to fuel your body and build your immune system. It can be useful to prepare larger meals to have leftovers for when you feel like you have higher bouts of energy to look after “future you”.
Between October and early March, we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight which is needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. The NHS suggest adding vitamin D supplements into your diet during this time and focusing on foods as a source of vitamin D, including:
- Oily fish (such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel)
- Red meat
- Liver (avoid liver if you are pregnant)
- Egg yolks
- Fortified foods (such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals)
3. Stay active
Physically active people have up to a 30% reduced risk of becoming depressed. The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week. Fitting exercise into your routine can improve mood, confidence level and overall health.
In the winter months it can be tempting to curl up on the sofa instead of leaving the house in the dark or struggling to be active due to lower motivation. Some short exercises to get moving include:
- Stretching
- Yoga
- Free online fitness classes (such as 5-minute work outs)
- Cleaning the house
- Have a walk on your lunch break
If you need a bit more structure, your local gym might offer online or in-person exercise classes you can join.
4. Get creative
Art can improve mental health and wellbeing. Getting creative encourages self-awareness, promotes relaxation, and reduces anxiety as it encourages emotional expression and regulating feelings.
Some creative hobbies to improve health and wellbeing include:
- Knitting
- Drawing
- Photography
- Adult colouring books for wellbeing
- Scrapbooking
- Making music
5. Find connection
It’s natural to feel less connected to others in winter, especially if you’re going out less. A study by Campaign to End Loneliness found that 49% of adults feel lonely. This increases during winter months more time spent indoors and a change in regular routines. Staying in touch with friends and family is a crucial way to keep loneliness at bay, alongside prioritising personal wellbeing routines and staying busy.
Ways to connect with people during winter include:
- Staying in touch with messaging and phone calls
- Exercise groups such as walking groups or gym classes
- Community-based social activities in your area
- Opting for social activities such as movie nights, over weather-dependent outdoor activities
Winter wellbeing resources
We’ve created a series of free resources and guides to help you support your employees’ mental and physical health and wellbeing during the challenging winter months. View our resources here.