What sort of interest is there on daylight savings? We’ve been saving for ages, but we’ve never spent any. These colder fall and winter months include not only a break from the heat of July and August, but also a break from the long and bright days of summer. Days when it’s easy to get out and breathe some fresh air, get in some physical activity, and generally feel better and happier. Not to mention that precious sunlight converting certain cholesterols in the skin into the vitally important vitamin D. Studies have shown for ages that mood and health decline along with the colder months. This begs the question “why do we roll back our clocks and lose an entire hour of precious daylight?” Though you and I may have been asking that question for a long time, researchers from the UK are asking it now and they’re being heard much more loudly and clearly than we.

Mayer Hillman of London’s Policy Studies Institute suggests that daylight savings doesn’t actually save anything. In fact, it eliminates “about 300 additional hours of daylight for adults each year, and 200 more for children.” He published a report on Friday 10/29/2010 online in the British Medical Journal that details studies that demonstrated people’s general decline in mood and energy levels in the shorter days of winter. Even if the extended daylight hour didn’t spur more people into exercising more, it would likely help toward a decline of other known conditions related to the darker winter months: poor mood and depression.

Dr. Robert Graham of New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital agrees with the idea on the basis of vitamin D’s importance. He stated that “Lessons learned by the explosion of research on the benefits of vitamin D add to the argument for not putting the clocks back.”

Up to 20% of Americans experience a form of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) through the winter months. It is a type of depression and in many cases is linked to changes in the amount of daylight at different times of year. It can lead to changes in appetite, fatigue, weight gain, anxiety, and even avoidance of social situations. It is thought that winter onset SAD is caused by the body’s reaction to less sunlight, which is another good reason for keeping that extra hour of light.

Doctors will often also prescribe medications to deal with SAD, but as is often the case…the best answers can be found in nature.

Take A Breather
Deep breaths raise your body’s blood oxygen levels, which can help increase your energy and alertness by lowering blood pressure and slowing your heart rate. The idea is to breathe deeply into your belly, not your chest. While sitting upright, inhale slowly through your nose and feel your abdomen push out, then exhale slowly through your mouth. Alternatively, a method used for quick energy in yoga calls for quick inhaling and exhaling through your nose while your mouth is closed. It is recommended to take 3 of these rapid breaths within a second, and repeat up to 15 seconds.

Move Around
If you have an office job like so many Americans, try getting a little exercise either on your lunch hour or if you get a shorter break throughout the day. A study from California State University, Long Beach suggested that the participants had a longer time of increased energy after taking a 10 minute walk than they did if they ate a candy bar or other sugary quick fix. The reason that a little brisk exercise works better than a store bought solution is that walking pumps oxygen through your veins and muscles.

Drink More Water
Your brain is made of 83% water, so it just makes sense that if you’re dehydrated it’s not going to function as well as it could or should. Fatigue isn’t the only symptom of dehydration of course, it can also cause depression, confusion, aggravation, constipation, and headaches. Make sure you drink plenty of water, or eat foods that have high water content like fruits and vegetables. Excess caffeine can cause dehydration, so be sure to balance it carefully.