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Thursday's Health Report: How less sunshine affects your mood and energy
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BATON ROUGE — The end of daylight saving time earlier this month means getting used to it getting darker earlier in the evening.
Less sunshine can affect mood and level of energy.
"People can feel more tired with less light due to the neurochemical or brain hormonal changes that occur with a change of season or less light. A common chemical that regulates that is called serotonin," Doctor of Family Medicine at the Mayo Clinic Jesse Bracamonte said.
But what happens when you have less exposure to the sun and your serotonin levels are off?
"Your mood may be off, your sleep may be off, the way you regulate your mood cycle — whether you're happy or you're feeling a bit down — can be off. And that can have a downstream effect to sway how you feel," he said.
Dr. Bracamonte says there are things you can do to feel better.
"To avoid the sluggish days, things you can do, exercise. Get plenty of rest. Make sure you have a balanced diet such as with fruits and veggies, drinking an adequate amount of water and getting sunlight when you can," he said.
And consider a light therapy lamp. They are designed to simulate natural sunlight.
"In many cases, I do recommend light therapy for people who aren't getting enough sun to help with mood and balance those neurochemicals out. It's one of the treatments for improving moods, particularly during the gloomy season," Dr. Bracamonte said.
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