During the winter months, the nights are longer and the days are shorter. This means that we get less natural light during the day. 

A lack of sunlight can disrupt your sleep cycle and make you feel more sleepy during the day. This is because your body makes more of a hormone called melatonin. When it’s dark, your body produces melatonin to tell your brain that it’s time to sleep.

So if you’re feeling drowsy during the darker months, it’s a good idea to try to get more natural light during the day, to reduce melatonin production and help regulate your sleep cycle.

You could try:

- opening your curtains and blinds as soon as you wake up to let in the sunlight
- taking a 10- to 15-minute walk in the middle of the day
- making your work and home as light and airy as possible


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Waking up to a healthy breakfast can help you get the nutrients you need and give you energy for the day ahead. So, what should you eat for breakfast? Try fish.

Generally, it’s a good idea to include these 4 food groups in your breakfast to make sure you’re getting a healthy mix of carbohydrates, fibre and protein, plus a little bit of fat:

- wholegrains – wholegrain bread, rolls or bagels and wholegrain cereals
- lean protein – eggs, lean meat or fish and nuts
- low-fat dairy – milk, plain yoghurt and low-fat cheese
- fruit and vegetables – fresh or frozen, or in smoothies or juice (with no added sugar)

Experts recommend you eat at least 2 portions of fish a week because of its many health benefits, including being a good source of protein. 

You may think it’s too early in the day for fish, but it’s a popular breakfast option around the world. Try kedgeree (made with smoked haddock and rice), kippers (try with wholegrain toast) or smoked salmon on a wholegrain bagel.

Person pouring tea behind a slice of whole grain bread topped with fish and avocado

Start the day right by trying fish for breakfast. It's great on toast and is full of protein and omega-3.

Eating at least 2 portions of fish a week, including 1 of oily fish, helps keep your blood pressure at a healthy level, which reduces your risk of heart disease.

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One of the healthiest foods you can eat for breakfast

Getting into the habit of writing down how you’re feeling may help improve your mood and lower stress levels.

You don’t need to be a good writer to try journaling, which is less about writing about your day (as you might in a more traditional diary) and more about recording your emotions, feelings and reactions. It's a way to process them and help you reframe how you see things, possibly in a more positive light.

Journaling can also help you identify patterns of feelings and behaviour, as well as triggers that have a negative effect on your mood. It’s useful to have a record of these things if you want to explore – in therapy, for example – how to deal with them.

It’s a good idea to write down the positive feelings and experiences you have throughout the day, too. This can help you to savour and maximise the good moments and see the balance between positive and negative.

Doing this regularly, over time, can help you manage stress better and improve your general outlook and mood.

Person sat on a sofa with a notebook and pen

Getting into the habit of writing down how you’re feeling may help improve your mood and lower stress levels. Learn about the power of journaling. 

Levels of the stress hormone cortisol are higher when you’re thirsty, so drink water throughout the day to help prevent levels from spiking.

Put pen to paper to reduce stress

Struggling to get into a workout routine? Timing might be the answer.

We get it. Life is busy, and it can feel like you don’t have time to exercise. So here’s some good news: it seems most of us have more free time than we think. A US study found almost all of the 32,000 participants said they had about 5 hours of free time a day. 

If you want to get into the habit of making time to exercise, picking the right time of day for your workout may help. And everybody’s different. While some people find it best to exercise at the start of the day, not everyone’s a morning person. 

Find it hard to get going in the mornings? Try exercising during your lunch break, heading to the park after work or taking a brisk walk before your dinner. You can experiment with different schedules until you find a time that works well for you. 

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Getting into a regular workout routine can be difficult, but finding the right time to do it could be the answer. 

The average person can burn up to 200 calories by skipping for 15 minutes.

Find the right time to exercise

*Did you know that watching TV or checking your phone close to bedtime can affect your hormonal balance?*

Melatonin – the sleep hormone – is produced by the pineal gland in our brain at nighttime, when it's dark.

Artificial light from TV, phones and computer screens (also called blue light) can suppress the release of melatonin by the brain. Along with regulating our sleep-wake cycle, melatonin plays a role in controlling body temperature, glucose levels and blood pressure – so stopping melatonin production through artificial light may have a more negative impact than just a bad night’s sleep.

What should you do? Dim your lights early and switch off your devices 2 to 3 hours before bedtime.

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Dim the lights, and turn off your tech, to drift off more easily tonight. 

Studies suggest red light may stimulate melatonin production and improve sleep.

Lights out

*Paying more attention while we buy, cook and eat food might help us make healthier choices.*

We've all grabbed food on the go or eaten while reading emails, watching TV or helping with homework… but when it comes to eating, multitasking may not be a skill we want to master. It turns out that being unaware of what and how we’re eating could be contributing to obesity rates and other health problems.

So, how can we learn to eat more mindfully?

1. Start at the supermarket. Don’t go shopping hungry or without a list – you’ll be more likely to add less nutritious items to your shopping basket.

2. Eat when you’re hungry, but not ravenous – you’re less likely to really enjoy your food if all you can think about is getting something into your stomach.

3. Be aware. Take a moment to fully consider what you’re about to eat – and as you’re eating, think about the smells, flavours and textures of the food. Practise the same awareness when you’re preparing snacks or cooking a meal.

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Try these simple tips the next time you sit down for a meal to help you eat more mindfully. 

Research has shown that using a bigger bowl for ice cream, for example, resulted in a 31% increase in the amount eaten.

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Ways to eat more mindfully

Music or silence – what do you prefer when exercising? Happily, there are benefits to both.

Music can lift your mood, energise you and make you want to move. Sing along and you’ll get extra benefits – singing can reduce stress, boost your immune system, improve lung function, up your pain threshold and help with mental health. Music can also result in longer exercise sessions.

But for some of us, music can be a distraction while exercising. There’s also some evidence to suggest that practising quiet mindfulness while exercising can help us make a stronger mind-body connection. How can you do this? Try counting how many breaths you take either by time or by milestone. If your mind drifts, don’t worry, just start again. The more you practise mindfulness, the more instinctive it becomes.

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Music or silence – what do you prefer when exercising? Happily, there are benefits to both.

Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Choosing a workout soundtrack (or not)

What do you do to relax at the end of the day? Here’s an idea you can try: an easy foot massage.

If you’ve had a massage before, you’ll know it involves moving the muscles and other soft tissues of your body. It can help the body relax, slowing down breathing and heart rate. By helping muscles relax, it can also reduce pain. Studies suggest that massage can improve sleep, too.

__It’s easy to give yourself a massage at home. Try this easy foot ‘arch rub’:__

1. Put your foot in your hand, holding the top of your foot.

2. Use the fingers of your other hand to rub the arch of your foot.

3. Rub from your heel to the ball of the foot.

4. Do this a few times before repeating with the other foot.

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What do you do to relax at the end of the day? Here’s an idea you can try: an easy foot massage.

Massage therapy has been used in China for more than 3,000 years.

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An easy massage to help you unwind

During the winter months, the nights are longer and the days are shorter. These tips will help you get more sunlight and beat drowsiness. 

Natural light helps to increase your serotonin levels, which can affect your mood, appetite and sleep.