How to survive winter by hacking your light habits
Many people who live in the northern part of the world suffer extended periods of darkness this time of the year – and often the winter blues. But there are things you can do to boost your health and wellbeing, and prevent winter depression. Several meteorological phenomena produce a lack of daylight. In research, we often refer to the number of hours with daylight as a photoperiod. At winter solstice, the photoperiod is short – or even absent if you go to the Arctic circle. People living in Russia, Canada, northern USA and northern Europe get very little sunlight in winter. Capital cities like Oslo in Norway, Stockholm in Sweden and Helsinki in Finland are all situated above 59 degrees north. These densely populated areas have inhabitants who are particularly affected by a lack of light. Another obstacle for people up north is the very low angle of the sun in the sky. Even if the sun rises above the horizon, it is often blocked by nature or buildings. Then there is the common thick …
