health hacks for daylight savings time

This Sunday, we gain an hour of sleep as the clock "falls back" an hour. Woohoo, unless you have young kids, in which case, sorry!

This time change means the sun will rise a little earlier, and it also means we are heading into deep winter. And less sunshine and colder weather can do a number on the ol' mental health. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) seems to be triggered by a lack of sunlight. Here are 5 things we recommend doing in the coming weeks: 

1. Get your "10 before 10". Getting 10 minutes of sunshine before 10am is so helpful for your circadian rhythm. Getting sunlight, ideally on a walk, supports your nighttime melatonin production and can improve your next few nights of sleep.
2. Animamundi Happiness Tonic: this tonic contains "happy herbs" like st john's wort, mucuna, and rhodiola. Can confirm, it really works. *please check with your doctor if you're on SSRIs*
3. Try light therapy: if the lack of sunlight is really getting to you, try out a light box. Light boxes are lamps you plug in on your desk that can help ease seasonal depression, major depression, and perinatal depression. It's worth a shot for $40 on amazon!
4. Take your daily D: Vitamin D is a vitamin we produce from getting sunshine. We recommend you test your levels first, and chat with one of our providers about adequate dosing. 
5. Sleep more! New research has found that humans, like animals, may require some mild hibernation. Lack of sunlight produces more melatonin, so if you're finding yourself more sleepy than in the summer, you're probably right. If it starts to feel abnormal or like it's teetering into depression, please reach out for support.