For our summer lovers, the end of the season has probably left you feeling a little sad. The air is getting crisp, the leaves are changing, and suddenly waking up at 7:00 AM feels like waking up in the dead of night.
If getting into your normal routine feels twice as hard during the colder months, this blog is for you!
The science behind the winter slump:
Deep inside your brain sits a master internal clock called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). It regulates everything from your mood and body temperature to your appetite and sleep cycle. Unlike your morning alarm, this clock isn’t set by a clock face, it’s set by light.
Specialised light-sensitive cells in your eyes are built to detect sunrise. When outdoor light hits them, your brain gets the message loud and clear: time to wake up. Without a clear hit of morning sunlight, your body clock drifts out of sync. You’re left floating in a daily brain fog where you never feel fully awake during the day, or fully rested at night.
How to reset your clock:
Step outside within an hour of waking up: Aim for 10 to 15 minutes of outdoor light shortly after you get up. Even on a gloomy, overcast morning, outdoor light is significantly stronger than any bulb inside your house.
Ditch the sunglasses for a few minutes: You don’t need to stare directly at the sun (in fact, please don’t!), but letting natural light hit your eyes without dark lenses gives your brain the clear signal it needs.
Don’t just look out the window: Glass filters out key light wavelengths your brain needs to register the time of day. Step out onto your doorstep, balcony, or garden, or why not take a quick stroll around the block with your morning tea.
Getting outdoor light in the morning is half the battle, protecting your evenings is the other. Here in the UK, the sun starts to set at 5:00 PM, but we flip on harsh overhead LEDs, curl up in front of the TV, and stare at our phones. To your brain, that artificial brightness looks identical to midday sun. It instantly halts melatonin (the hormone that actually makes you feel drowsy) leaving you wide awake at 11:30 PM wondering why you can’t drift off.
You don’t need to live in the dark, but a few small tweaks once the sun goes down can really help:
Ditch the overhead lights: Once dusk hits, kill the main ceiling lights. Switch to floor or bedside lamps with warm, soft-yellow bulbs. Low, dim lighting tells your nervous system it’s time to slow down.
Give your brain a 60-minute break: Screen time right before bed is like drinking an espresso for your eyes. Try putting the phone away an hour before sleep. Read a chapter of a book, catch up on a podcast, or just stretch out on the rug.
Make your bedroom pitch black: Cold weather means bare trees, leaving streetlight glare free to flood your bedroom window. Grab blackout curtains or a soft eye mask so minor light leaks don’t pull you out of deep sleep.
Coda’s top four tips to get through winter:
- Winter naturally slows us down. Give yourself permission to sleep a bit more, cook warm foods, and enjoy quieter evenings without feeling guilty for not being as active as you were in summer.
- It’s tempting to hibernate, but isolation makes winter drag on. Socialising is important, try to make time for friends and family even if it’s just for a 15 minute walk!
- Move your body just to feel good, not to push hard. Exercise pumps up the exact mood-boosting chemicals (like dopamine) that dip in winter. Keep it simple, a brisk walk at lunch or a quick indoor stretch is plenty to clear the brain fog.
- Order your NHS prescriptions with Coda Pharmacy. We offer free delivery straight to your door so you don’t have to pop out in the cold or rain to pick it up.
Coda Pharmacy is here to support you every step of the way. From offering expert advice to delivering your NHS prescriptions free of charge. If you have any questions about what you have read in this article or any of the services that Coda Pharmacy can provide you with, please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us here.
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