ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) –As winter sets in, so do the shorter days with less sunlight. When the days are shorter, the brain produces extra melatonin, making you want to sleep more. Here are some tricks to make you feel more awake and get energized.
It’s cold, dark, and gloomy. This winter you might just want to curl in bed and sleep until April. Light controls our circadian rhythm, or our internal clock, and as sunrise is later, there are some things that can help wake you up, such as light therapy boxes or smart bulbs. They mimic the effects of a bright morning. “It’s a bright light that would be applied for one hour at normal waking time” said John Burns, PhD, a professor at Rush University Medical Center.
Also, comfort foods can bring some comfort during the cold winter months, but they can also leave you feeling sluggish. Try jump starting your day with a fruit smoothie instead of a bagel. Did you know exercise may help you feel more awake than caffeine? In a study from the University of Georgia, participants felt more energized after using the stairs for ten minutes than they did after taking a 50-milligram caffeine pill.
A survey of 140,000 people in the United States found that those that live in area where the snowfall is highest are getting the most sleep.
Sources:
https://news.uga.edu/stairs-more-energy-research/
https://www.livescience.com/49917-snowy-states-longer-sleep.html
Contributor(s) to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Writer and Robert Walko, Videographer and Editor.
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