the sunshine factor
I've just been doing some more reading on my pet topic - Seasonal Affective Disorder - and it suddenly struck me: Brits, Canadians, Northern Europeans & denizens of the Northern States, have you noticed there seems to be a rash of marriage breakdowns in February/March? Yeah, me too.
SAD is not only a WHO-recognised illness these days, it also has a bunch of sub-types which - you guessed it - demonstrate emotional disturbance, insomnia, lack of energy and sudden cravings.
Sunlight is the main source of Vitamin D for our bodies. Vitamin D is essential for bone strength - lack of it was the cause of rickets in the old days, which is why it's added to baby milk - and you need to pay attention to that if you have a tendency to osteoporisis in your family. It's now being recognised as essential for basic hormonal functions, such as thyroid and a whole load of other metabolic factors. Experts are currently fighting each other like mad, over whether it's more dangerous to risk sunburn or to have insufficient exposure!
This is one of those things your granny always 'knew' but have been lost in the muddle of science - lack of daylight makes you poorly, miserable and restless.
A thought: if your spouse seems edgy and/or listless after Christmas, don't just put it down to the hangover. Get them outdoors for at least an hour in daylight, maybe get a full-spectrum lamp to switch itself on in your bedroom first thing (I have one of those - makes a huge difference!) and bend every rule to get a sunshine holiday during the gloomiest weeks.
If it's already gone pear-shaped but you hope for a reconciliation ... try in April, when the sun's been out for a few weeks.
No guarantees ... but who knows?
AG
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