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


Woman in red jumper

Whether you’re working from home or the office, if you’re feeling disconnected from your team, it’s important to take steps to keep yourself from feeling isolated and lonely.

Some research suggests that loneliness can impact your mental health, increasing your risk of stress, sleep problems, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression.

Fortunately, you can do things to feel more connected and build good social relationships, which can help protect your mental health.

__Try reaching out to co-workers.__

If you’re feeling disconnected from your colleagues, chances are someone else in your team is too. To get to know your colleagues better and build new connections, try:

- asking a team mate to go for a coffee break or short walk outside the office 
- setting up a video call with a colleague from another team to get to know each other
- having lunch as a team in person or over video call where you don’t discuss work 

Did you know, you can use the Healthily [app](/app) to track your mood? Go to ‘My account’ then 'My trackers' and choose ‘Mood’ to get started.

Person working from home sat at a desk typing on a laptop

Feeling disconnected from your team? Try these tips to get to know your colleagues and make new connections.

As well as improving your quality of life and general wellbeing, talking to others and building connections can boost your mental health and may even help you live longer.


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Simple steps to feel more connected at work

Struggling to get to sleep? There could be too much light in your bedroom at night.

We typically find it easier to fall asleep in a dark room because our internal body clock is directly linked to the hours of sunlight.

Your brain naturally associates darkness with sleep, so shutting out the light closer to bedtime creates a more serene sleeping space, which can help you switch off. 

To darken a bright bedroom, try using blackout blinds or thick curtains and cover up sources of light.

If the light is still creeping in, make sure your blinds or curtains are tightly closed and slip on a comfortable eye mask.

Did you know, you can use the Healthily [app](/app) to track your sleep? Go to ‘My account’ then 'My trackers' and choose ‘Sleep length’ and ‘Sleep quality’.

Stylish bedroom with bed, bedside table, lamps and house plants

Are you struggling to drift off? Too much light could be to blame. 

Before the sun rises on dark mornings, exposing yourself to artificial light tells your brain it’s time to start the day.

How darkness helps you drift off

If you start feeling angry when you’re hungry, you'll know how it feels to be ‘hangry’. Here’s how to stop hanger in its tracks.

Food, or a lack of it, can have a big impact on how we feel. When you get very hungry, your blood sugar can take a dive, which can make you feel grumpy.

Listening to your body’s hunger signals is a good way to make sure you’re eating regularly enough.  

To avoid getting hangry, fill up on:

- protein-rich foods like eggs, fish and nuts, which keep you fuller for longer
- wholegrain foods like lentils and oats, which release energy gradually over time – helping blood sugar levels stay balanced
- fruits and vegetables, which are packed full of nutrients and can leave you feeling energised

Box of eggs with different faces drawn on them 

When your blood sugar takes a dive, it can make you feel grumpy. Fill up on these foods.

Breakfast can boost energy and concentration and keep you out of the hanger zone for longer.

What to eat to avoid feeling ‘hangry’

Do you find it difficult to make time for exercise? Breaking it down into manageable chunks could make it easier to reach your activity target.

Walking, dancing or cycling all count as moderate-intensity exercise – basically, any activity that raises your body temperature and gets your heart rate and breathing rate up. 

If moderate-intensity exercise is what you prefer, you should aim for 150 minutes a week. If you spread 150 minutes over 7 days, that’s only about 21 minutes each day. 

You could break it down further to just over 10 minutes, twice a day. Squeeze in a quick burst over lunch or straight after work – without disrupting your day too much.

Did you know, you can use the Healthily [app](https://www.livehealthily.com/app) to track your activity? Go to ‘My account’ then 'My trackers' and choose 'Activity levels'.

Water bottle, phone and trainers

Try this easy step to help you hit your activity target.

If you can’t sing, but can still talk, that’s a good sign you’re doing moderate-intensity activity.

How to fit exercise into a busy day

Eating fermented foods is a way to up your intake of a mix of different nutrients and boost your ‘good’ gut bacteria.

Your friendly gut bacteria extract nutrients from food and protect your gut from less friendly types of bacteria. 

Probiotics are live bacteria or yeast often found in fermented foods, which can help maintain balance and create harmony in your natural gut bacteria.

Fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, miso or kefir, can also be a great source of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

Here are some quick and tasty ways to add fermented foods to your diet:

- add a spoonful of sauerkraut to your lunchtime sandwich

- switch your usual bread for sourdough

- stir live yoghurt into your breakfast smoothie

- sip on some miso soup for a warming pre-dinner starter

A loaf of sourdough bread

Adding fermented foods to your diet can boost the 'good' bacteria living in your gut.

Normally, we have 100 to 150 different types of bacteria in our gut at one time, but as many as 1,000 different types exist.

Keep your gut happy with fermented foods

Drifted off track with hitting your exercise goals? If you’ve stumbled upon a motivation roadblock, it may be time to rethink your goal-setting strategy.

Having a big goal, like running 10km, can feel like an overwhelming hill to climb – zapping your energy to even get started. Breaking goals down into more manageable challenges could help kick-start your motivation again.

Make things easier for yourself by thinking about every phase of reaching your goal – no matter how small. For example, if you want to start running, the first step could be buying yourself a pair of trainers or finding a local running route. 

Reaching smaller targets more often can motivate you to continue working towards a bigger goal. 

Did you know, you can use the Healthily [app](https://www.livehealthily.com/app) to track your activity? Go to ‘My account’ then 'My trackers' and choose 'Activity levels'.

Woman standing at the top of a hill after exercising

Learn how to kick-start your motivation by making your goals more manageable.

You can do your weekly target of physical activity (at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity) on a single day or over 2 or more days – whatever you prefer.

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How to keep motivated towards your fitness goals

If you’re struggling to fall asleep, or find yourself tossing and turning at night, adding strength workouts to your exercise routine could help you get a more restful night’s sleep. 

While intense exercise may not be beneficial for sleep too close to bedtime, research has shown that regular strength training has a variety of benefits for sleep, including improving overall sleep quality. 

Experiment with a couple of strength-training sessions to see what the impact is on your sleep. 

If you’re new to strength training, you could start with some simple exercises using just your bodyweight, like squats, leg raises or wall push-ups.

Did you know, you can use the Healthily [app](/app) to track your sleep? Go to ‘My account’ then 'My trackers' and choose ‘Sleep length’ and ‘Sleep quality’.

Blue and pink dumbbells on a workout mat

Did you know that working out before bed could help improve your sleep? Experiment with a couple of strength-training sessions to see what the impact for yourself.

If you really can’t sleep, it’s a good idea to get up and do something relaxing to help you wind down. 

Strength training for better sleep

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.