Winter sunbathing PART 2.: There are alternatives!

In the PREVIOUS part of this article, I wrote about the benefits of spending time outside in natural light every day in winter, and many of other lifestyle practices that can be implemented to stay energetic and cheerful in winter with less sunlight. In this section I explain the previous ones in a different light and give you more tips!

In the modern world, it’s easy to create a daily routine where winter is almost non-existent. We dress up, we heat up, we fill our days with artificial lights, we stock up on summer fruits from the grocery stores, etc. But this comfort is not always good for our health, we could do something more mixed and get used to the real winter.

Early dusk, low sunlight, cold temperatures outside are not to many people’s liking. If moving and time travel is not an option, the following tips may come in handy!

Winter and regeneration

I know, not so easy to achieve with the modern lifestyle, but here I’m writing about ideal, nerdy cases from a biological point of view. I think the key is to know this information and adjust your habits as much as you can.

If we were to follow nature’s seasonal rhythms, we should be more productive during the long summer days, work more, enjoy life, savour fresh fruit, sleep less, maybe even build up some insulation fat layer by the end of autumn.

And in winter, with shorter, darker days, we should give ourselves over to rest, regeneration, less food, even fasting from time to time, longer sleeps, shedding that particular insulating layer by spring.

The good news is that this is the time to maximise e.g. the hormone melatonin and with it the autophagy, apoptosis, AMPk cell-clearing-renewal-fat-burning processes. Incidentally, mitochondria play a key role in activating all of these.

Melatonin levels begin to rise in the dark, in the absence of (daytime) blue light. In winter, there would be an ample window of opportunity to do this. In principle, there would be, if we didn’t encounter so much artificial blue light from gadgets, screens and lights that reduce levels. This is why it is worth paying more attention to blue light protection (software, glasses, friendlier lighting) in winter.

Cold adaptation

Babies are born with active brown fat tissue, which allows for so-called shiver-free heat production. This process also takes place in the mitochondria, where protons and electrons from food or energy stores are not used for ATP production, but are “split” in a process called electron transport chain through UCP proteins and directly produce heat, infrared light.

Brown adipose tissue regresses in childhood, however, because we don’t give our bodies enough stimulation to need it by dressing and heating in winter. The good news is that it is possible to produce brown fat and non-shivering thermogenesis also in adulthood, because the code is in everyone’s DNA!

It requires a gradually built up and administered cold stimulus. You can start with an ice water face bath, staying outside underdressed for a few minutes, taking a cold shower, etc. I wrote about the steps of cold adaptation in a previous ARTICLE and in the Beyond Paleo book in more detail.

The bottom line is that in principle anyone can adapt to the cold to a significant degree by building up brown adipose tissue and non-shivering thermogenesis. This can be thought of as a form of training: you struggle a little, then after a period of recovery your body resumes at a higher level, stronger.

This biological trick, biohacking, will make winter more bearable and expand your comfort zone. I’ve been experimenting with cold adaptation for a few years and apart from a few overdone ice baths, I’ve had mostly positive experiences. I have written about my experiences e.g. HERE.

Socialising

Although the hibernation-like regeneration described above tends to lead to loneliness, it is still worth spending time with family, friends and sports partners, organising fun activities and having a good laugh. In this way, instead of the ‘happy hormone’ effect of sunlight, we can protect ourselves against winter depression by another route.

Brighten up the grey weekdays

Although I think this is a smaller effect than all the others, it can brighten up the mood in the doldrums if you have a colourful home, dress in colour or eat colourful food. And even ‘British scientists‘ are writing about it, if you don’t believe me…

Earthing/Grounding

If you haven’t heard of this mysterious, pseudo-scientific-sounding concept, I recommend you do some research on the subject. In short, it’s about the electromagnetic interaction between our bodies and the environment when we come into contact with natural electrically conductive media on the free surface of our skin. In simple terms, we can pick up electrons by walking barefoot in the grass or bathing in outdoor water, which we can then use to charge our batteries in, for example, the ordered structure of charge-separated water in our cells.

Although not as pleasant at first as walking in the wet grass or bathing at the beach in summer, it can be adapted gradually and you can go barefoot in the snow, grass or cold and icy waters in winter. You can also just use your hands to come into contact with natural electrically conductive surfaces or even cemented, stony surfaces will do if this is available because they are conductive media due to the minerals. So even then the phenomenon works to some extent if one goes out on the patio or in the garage.

Plus a speculation, I haven’t looked into it more thoroughly, but presumably a simple shower, even with hot water, could work if the other end of the water pipe is grounded in the mains. It probably doesn’t need justification that a hot shower usually feels nice, especially in winter. This may simply be the effect of the infrared light from the hot water or, with it, the earthing.

When I think of winter grounding as just a few minutes of action, there are positive effects from these habits without any serious tortures.

Fly to a warmer climate

If the sun isn’t shining enough in your area, fly to a place with summer weather this time of year. I know, it’s easy to say and many people would go, but it’s mostly a matter of budget.

Even a one-week winter holiday can make a big difference to your health, vitamin D levels, mood, energy levels and general well-being. In a summer place, you can get daily exposure to vitamin D-producing UV-B rays, easily master the art of grounding, eat fresh seafood rich in omega-3 fatty acids and even sleep better with all-day sun exposure and less artificial light at night.

I think many people would try the following: watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets on the beach, spending the whole day in summer clothes or swimsuits, walking barefoot in the wet sand, collecting some browns, eating fresh tropical fruits, exercising outdoors, diving and water sports.

It’s no coincidence that many people go to summer destinations like this in winter, for longer or shorter stays.

In summary

Although many people don’t like the autumn-winter period and would like to skip it with a time machine, there are many ways to get through these months in good health, energy and good spirits! Of course, there are ideal methods that are harder to implement, but I think the important thing is to be aware of them and use them in your everyday winter life, as much as you can.

Images: unsplash.com

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