Ask Dr. Denton: Why Do I Have the Winter Blues? How Much Sleep Do I Need?

1/10/2012

(Page 2 of 2)

requires white cells (the immune fighting cells) to move into the wounded area.

Sunlight also seems to play a role in the body's ability to slip into a normal sleep pattern. Extreme variations in weather during the winter months or even in some episodes in the summer can lead to variations in the body's normal rhythms. Some individuals are extremely sensitive to these variations. It may well be that the extreme variations in weather have similar effects as jet lag on some individuals.

Light therapy plays an important role. Though some may say this is "foolishness", the symptoms of depression or "winter blues" for some people sensitive to less light in the winter months can be devastating! For these folks, light therapy has been found to be a saving grace. A simple thought: If you have the hibernation blues keep a room in your house lit extremely brightly (Sunlight imitating bulbs are ideal) during the day and early evening.

Cooling the body actually, will fatigue and slow the body down. Remember a cooling of the body is a trigger to sleep. A room with bright lights and warmth sounds nice right now and will actually help stem the tide of dark day sleepiness.

Finally, winter seems to always be a time of increased food intake and alcohol consumption. Be careful, alcohol will reduce your REM sleep. No hot tottys for this boy. Have a single class of wine at dinner and call it good. Really, watch out for those fast carbs (cookies, candy bars, one little chocolate ...eaten 5 times) when you're tired. They will perk you up for an hour and then a big crash is coming, so is a big tummy.

Here it is, simplified. Seven hours of sleep for adults is healthy. Less than 6 -7 hours is unhealthy PERIOD! In order to get this extra 5lbs .Ok maybe 20 lbs off of me I have got to start with sleep.... simple, consistent, rejuvenating, refreshing, healing sleep.

Some call it Beauty sleep I just call it Beautiful living - one night at a time. We need beautiful sleeping for beautiful living.

And on the 7th day he rested. (Genesis 2:2) We need our rest. It is a part of His plan and the path to healthy, happy and beautiful living.

-----

Dr Denton D. Weiss, M.D. is board certified in both Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Weiss' approach to his medical practice flows from his convictions about the meaning of life which are deeply rooted in his Catholic Faith. He and his wife, Michelle strive for an integrated approach to life which recognizes the unity of the body, mind and soul. They call this approach "Bella Vitae" or "Beautiful Living". He, and Michelle, are contributing writers to Catholic Online.
- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Sleep, depression, beautiful living, Dr Denton Weiss, REM, health, weight gain, obesity, well being

NEWSLETTERS »

Previous Page 1 | 2

Rate This Article

Was this helpful to you? Very Helpful Somewhat Helpful Not Helpful at All

Would you be interested in more articles like this? Yes, I am Interested No, I am not Interested

Rate Article

1 - 3 of 3 Comments

Tony R
1 year ago
I work a swing shift. Wed. thru Tues. i work 3rd shift. 11 PM till 7 AM. get 3 days off then start 1st shift. Sat till Fri 7AM till 3PM. get 2 days off and work 2nd Mon. thru Fri. 3 PM till 11PM. the weekends I work, I work 12 hrs. 7 AM till 7 PM or 7 PM till 7 AM. if I work overtime its 16 hrs. There are little tricks to try and get good sleep but they mostly don't work. you don't get REM. How do you know if you get REM? I believe its if you dream then you probably are getting good sleep
The consecutive hours of sleep are important. Usually starting 3rd shift you get 3 or 4 hrs of sleep and take a bathroom break. too tired to do anything and sometimes you feel too "tired" to sleep. sounds weird but its what happens to everyone I work with.
There aren't too many people who live much after their retirement it seems.
Oh, don't watch television, don't fight trying to fall to sleep. ie... if i fall to sleep right now, i'll get 3 good hours before I have to get up.
Black out the room with a Good thick shade on the windows. Turn down the temp. of the house right before you lay down (works for the kids)..
ninov
1 year ago
Lack of exercise is most folks problem. If you get a good day in with a workout, moving wood, some sort of hard exercise, sleeping is less of a problem. Also, eating whole grains, nuts, beans, stay away from sugar and limit caffeine after 2pm. Then add in a does of good spiritual food like prayer and I have found this to be a good mix. This is the time of year I loose the most weight. Jan-April - I get up at 520am, run three times a week, run Mon-Wed-Fri 6-8-6 miles each, gives me time to do my own personal rosary for my family, listen to homilies on podcast and other catholic podcasts and get a great workout in. I triple my resting heart rate for 60-80 minutes. Getting up at the same time every day, no matter what, and offering that 520am alarm up as a small mortification and sacrifice is helpful to stay focused. Plenty of energy to work all day, play with my 4 boys and hang with the wife and manage a 20 acre property. Gotta burn good food healthy food fuel, then good healthy spiritual fuel......Stay strong folks - 41 and feeling better than when I was 21....
abey
1 year ago
If lack of sleep deprives one of a healthy Life , then sin deprives one of Life itself.

Comments submitted must be civil, remain on-topic and not violate any laws including copyright. We reserve the right to delete any comments which are abusive, inappropriate or not constructive to the discussion.

Though we invite robust discussion, we reserve the right to not publish any comment which denigrates the human person, undermines marriage and the family, or advocates for positions which openly oppose the teaching of the Catholic Church.

This is a supervised forum and the Editors of Catholic Online retain the right to direct it.

We also reserve the right to block any commenter for repeated violations. Your email address is required to post, but it will not be published on the site.

We ask that you NOT post your comment more than once. Catholic Online is growing and our ability to review all comments sometimes results in a delay in their publication.

Name *

Email *

Comment *

Send me important information from Catholic Online and it's partners. See Sample

Post Comment