Byron Richards
Health expert Byron Richards explains ways to remain an energetic, positive attitude throughout the winter. An excerpt from the article is listed below.
"The combination of a lack of sun and cold weather invariably strains your mood as well as your metabolism. It is an energy-depleting form of stress that is similar to having a daily argument with someone. If your energy systems are already borderline or your plate is full with things to do, the addition of this weather stress can be significant.
This year's early deep freeze in northern climates sets the stage for a long and potentially difficult winter. On the eating side, the cold triggers "hibernation metabolism" and the desire to eat more sweet food. This urge is helped along by the holiday season. Invariably, the lower your energy the more you will crave.
The combination of cold and longer periods of dark causes the body's internal clock to stress out - otherwise known as the winter blues. Melatonin is the primary hormone that governs your body's clock. Melatonin does its work at night, synchronizing repair and getting you ready for the next day. During winter months peak levels of melatonin are not produced at the right time of night. Instead, your body can try to keep making more melatonin even after you've woken up - all in an effort to reach the "proper level." This can make your daytime feel like nighttime. It can get so bad it feels like you are dragging a 100 pound lead ball around with you. This is a distinctly different kind of low energy feeling - you just feel as if you are dragging and can't get in gear. You will crave sugar to spark your energy to go (a genetic urge), but eating some produces only short term benefit before you return to the state of sluggishness (along with weight gain).
Supplemental melatonin can markedly improve this problem. I recommend melatonin in 0.5 mg capsules as this way you can easily control for the exact amount you need. 3 mg capsules are far too large a dose to properly modulate melatonin levels and do not work very well for most people (unless it's the dose you actually need).
Some people take melatonin all year long (usually 0.5 to 1.5 mg per day), as the proper levels of melatonin decline with age. Many individuals past age 40 are lacking around 0.5 mg of melatonin and notice they sleep much better when taking some before bed, even in the summer. Many other people only need melatonin when it is darker and colder. In general, the colder and darker it is the higher the dose that is needed. The right dose of melatonin helps you to go to sleep better and wake up feeling more refreshed - as well as not having that dragging feeling during the day. A dose that is too high gives a mild headache or groggy feeling - more or less producing the symptoms that it is supposed to be getting rid of.
Melatonin is normally taken before bed (1-6 capsules of the 0.5 mg amount). Start out with 1 and work your way up as needed until you find the right number. The number may change if the temperature drops 20-30 degrees and stays there for a while. A small percentage of people have the symptoms of needing melatonin but it either doesn't seem to help or doesn't seem to feel right on any dose. These people should try taking melatonin first thing in the morning. Doing so may signal to the brain that levels are now adequate; the brain stops trying to make more - thus the "sleep hormone" will no longer be produced in the day."
To Read the Full Article visit http://www.wellnessresources.com/
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
