Beating the Winter Blues

Feel a little glum in colder weather？ You are not alone. Wu Ni looks at some simple ways to stay bright and happy when the weather is gloomy.

With fewer hours of sunlight and lower temperatures， it can be a struggle to stay active during winter.

The colder weather makes it more likely that people will feel moody， sleep more but still feel tired or lose interest in their usual activities. And the gloom won’t lift until spring.

The winter blues， if paired with intense symptoms and if it lasts for more than two consecutive winters， can indicate a health complaint called Seasonal Affective Disorder （SAD）. This is a type of depression thought to be related to the amount of natural light available in the winter months， according to Zhang Chun， director of the Psychological Crisis Prevention Center in Nanjing， Jiangsu province.

\"The lack of daylight makes the body produce a hormone that restrains happiness，\" Zhang says.

The pineal gland that regulates body rhythms， secretes a hormone called melatonin during the night. Melatonin regulates people’s biological clock and sleep patterns， making people feel drowsy， with low body temperature and heartbeat and prepares the brain for rest.

In the winter months， the lack of daylight can mean some peoples’ bodies do not stop producing melatonin， leaving them feeling exhausted. More symptoms include eating more and craving carbohydrates， weight gain or having trouble concentrating. Women， the elderly and those who work indoors， are more likely to suffer SAD， Zhang says.

Light therapy， using special high intensity \"light boxes\"， is one of the main forms of treatment for SAD sufferers. To get the benefits， sufferers have to sit in front of a light box， which contains a light five to 20 times more intense than a well-lit office， for a certain amount of time each day. However， if one is suffering serious symptoms， one should seek help from doctors for antidepressant medication.

Health tips to lift spirits in the gloomy winter

More exposure to natural sunlight. Do not think that sitting in your well-lit office or home will helpboost the amount of light you are getting each day. Most artificial light is many times weaker than the natural light available outdoors. So try to get out when the sun is shining.

Doing exercise. Moderate exercise such as walking， riding a stationary bike， or swimming is agreat way to get started. But any activities that raise your heart rate， including daily chores， canhelp， especially if you can do them outdoors or near a sunny window. Yoga， jogging and Tai chican all help lift your mood.

Create warm artificial light. Research suggests that sitting in front of a light box will give you backsome of that glow. Use it within the first hour of waking up in the morning， positioning it anywherebetween half a foot and three feet away from your face for about 20 to 30 minutes

Eat calorie-rich food. Do not binge because of depression. Eating more high-calorie meat andbeans can also help lift your mood.

Take a vacation to a warmer place. It will give winter blue sufferers a psychological boost as they will have something to look forward to， and also a physical boost while they are away.

Health in Focus

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Racing video games may influence later behavior

Playing an intense racing game makes players more likely to take risks like speeding， passingon the wrong side， running red lights or using a cell phone in a simulated driving task shortly afterwards， according to a new study by researchers at Xi’an Jiaotong University in China.People with more adventurous personalities were more inclined to take risks， and more intensegames led to greater risk taking， the researchers write in the journal， Injury Prevention.

Fruits offer new hope for inflammatory ailments

Feijoas and blackberries stood out among 12 fruits for their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidantproperties， said University of Auckland researchers. They could provide a breakthrough intreating inflammatory diseases， particularly in the bowel. The study identified fruit compoundswith an anti-inflammatory effect through certain chemical pathways that could be tested further todevelop them as complementary therapies for inflammatory bowel disease and otherinflammatory disorders. The study also showed that the anti-oxidant action of the feijoacompounds was not a direct effect， but was mediated through inhibitory effects on the enzyme，and kinase.

http：//www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2015-01/15/content_19328355_3.htm