The Winter Kit

Morning light is the signal that sets our internal clock and drives the cortisol rise that wakes us up. In winter it arrives later, weaker and mostly through a window, so we start the day flat. Melatonin, the hormone of darkness, is released for longer on long nights; in people prone to winter depression, researchers at the US National Institute of Mental Health found this longer night-time signal appears in winter and fades in summer.

• Get outside within an hour of waking. Even a grey winter morning is many times brighter than indoors, and it is this light that times tonight's melatonin.
• Melatonin is made from serotonin, at night, in darkness. So the work starts in the morning with light, and finishes in the evening with dark.
• From around 9pm, switch to warm lamps and candles, put screens away and keep the bedroom cool and dark.
• Wake at the same time every day, weekends included.

Brain scans of healthy adults in Toronto showed more serotonin transporters in autumn and winter, which means serotonin is cleared away faster and less is available. Earlier research in The Lancet found the brain produces the least serotonin in winter, rising with the hours of bright sunshine. Serotonin steadies mood and appetite, and it is also the raw material for melatonin, which is why winter can leave us low by day and poorly rested by night.

• Daylight first: it is the most powerful serotonin signal we have.
• Eat its building block. Serotonin is made from tryptophan, found in eggs, turkey, salmon, oats and pumpkin seeds. Pair them with slow carbohydrates, which help tryptophan reach the brain.
• Move every day. Exercise raises serotonin and softens the winter low.
• If low mood, oversleeping or loss of interest last more than a couple of weeks, please speak to your GP. Seasonal affective disorder is common and very treatable.

Griffonia provides 5-HTP, the step just before serotonin; vitamin B6 helps the body make that final conversion, and B vitamins contribute to normal psychological function.

Leptin tells us we are full; ghrelin tells us we are hungry. Both follow our sleep and our body clock. In a well-known University of Chicago study, two short nights lowered leptin by 18%, raised ghrelin by 28% and pushed cravings straight towards sweet, salty and starchy food. Add dark evenings, later dinners and lower serotonin, and the winter pull towards bread and sweets makes complete biological sense. It is not a lack of willpower.

• Start with a warm, protein-rich breakfast within an hour of waking. It steadies hunger for the whole day.
• Eat with the light: make lunch your main meal and finish dinner around three hours before bed.
• Never eat carbohydrates alone. Pair them with protein and good fats so comfort never ends in a crash.
• Protect your sleep, because tomorrow's cravings are decided tonight.
• Plan the 4pm snack rather than fighting it, so the biscuit tin never gets a vote.

Seasonal affective disorder is diagnosed far more often in women than in men. Oestrogen supports serotonin, and in perimenopause oestrogen and progesterone rise and fall unpredictably: a 2024 UCL review of more than 9,000 women found depressive symptoms were around 40% more likely in perimenopause than before it. Night sweats and 3am waking then unsettle leptin and ghrelin further, so winter and perimenopause can arrive as a double load: lower mood, broken sleep, stronger cravings and weight settling around the middle.

• Waking unrefreshed, the afternoon slump arriving earlier, evening cravings, irritability, anxiety you can't quite place, and losing interest in plans you would normally love.

• Protect sleep above everything: a cool bedroom, a regular bedtime, and less alcohol, which worsens night sweats.
• Lift something heavy twice a week. Muscle is your best metabolic ally through perimenopause.
• Protein at every meal, and oily fish twice a week.
• Track what you notice. Patterns are data, and data turns guesswork into a plan.

Your lymphatic system, which clears waste and carries immune cells around the body, has no pump of its own: it only moves when you do. In winter we walk less and sit more, so fluid stagnates and we feel puffy and sluggish. At the same time the immune system is working its hardest, and from October to March the UK sun is too low for our skin to make vitamin D, which is why the NHS advises everyone to consider a supplement through autumn and winter.

• Walk every day, ideally in daylight, and add strength twice a week.
• Use warmth as recovery: a sauna, a long bath or a hot shower.
• Eat for warmth and defence: slow-cooked stews and broths, colour on every plate, citrus, kiwi and peppers for vitamin C, and something fermented each day for your gut.