For many people, this time of year is a depressing one. But if you’re struggling to keep your mood buoyant, getting a dog could be the answer.
February is a notoriously gloomy month. Temperatures plummet and the amount of sunshine we are exposed to is low, so if youâre feeling fed up, then youâre not alone. Lack of sunlight causes our vitamin D3 levels to drop and a poor diet can really affect our mood.
However, there are simple ways to boost how weâre feeling. The first is to look at how much sunshine we are getting. âMost of our vitamin D3 production occurs when skin is exposed to sunlight,â explains Shabir Daya, pharmacist for VictoriaHealth.com. âMore than 90 per cent of our vitamin D3 supply comes from UVB rays hitting the skin and converting a type of cholesterol into vitamin D3.â
Worryingly, more than half of British adults may be deficient in vitamin D3,Â according to the World Health Organisation. âVitamin D3 levels begin to decline as soon as autumn arrives,â explains Daya. âAnd in Britain it is estimated we do not get enough vitamin D3 in our bodiesÂ during the summer months to last us through the winter.â
According to Daya, the decline in vitamin D3 goes hand-in-hand with lower immunity and, for some, anxiety and similar concerns. He says vitamin D3 may also help to protect against high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis.
âVitamin D3 is involved in numerous processes within the body,â says Daya. âHowever, while we still donât fully understand its functions, brain studies show that D3 increases serotonin [the feel-good hormone] levels in the brain.â
Food also plays an important role in mood and not eating a healthy diet could be the reason you feel low. âSerotonin is commonly known as the happy hormone,â says ZoÃ« Copsey, head of nutrition atÂ Lomax Bespoke Fitness, Nutrition and Wellbeing. âIt is produced to control our mood, emotions and sleep and, with the right foods and nutrients, you can help with the production of it.
âSerotonin is a neurotransmitter synthesised from the amino acid L-tryptophan. However, your body cannot directlyÂ produce L-tryptophan, therefore food sources are key.â
Copsey says L-tryptophan can be found in foods such as milk, poultry, shellfish, eggs and yoghurt. The nutrients needed to process it into serotonin are vitamins B3 and B6. Youâll find vitamin B3 in things like chicken, turkey, tuna, lamb and mackerel, as well as leafy green vegetables, mushrooms and avocados. Vitamin B6 is in foods such as leafy green vegetables, beans, lentils, wholegrains, nuts and seeds. âEating these foods, along with carbohydrates, helps increase absorption of L-tryptophan to stimulate production of serotonin, which may help to lift your mood and promote healthy sleep,â says Copsey.
You can also vastly improve your mood by using your sense of smell to trigger certain areas of the brain. Geraldine Howard, aromatherapist and co-founder of AromatherapyÂ Associates, says: âAromas can trigger emotional and even physical responses and help transform our mood and move us from one state of mind to another.
âIf you arenât convinced, think about how you feel when walking in a rose garden to how you feel when travelling on the Tube. Itâs unlikely that the smell of your commute will be preferable.â
Cuddling up to a favourite pet can help, too. Sarah Whitehead, canine behaviourist and author of Clever Dog (Â£9.89, http://www.amazon.co.uk) explains: âThere have been two main studies on the mood-enhancing benefits of pets,â she says.
âOne in 2009 by biologists Miho Nagasawa and Takefumi KikusuiÂ of Azuba University in Japan, and the other in 2010 by KerstinÂ Uvnas-Moberg at Uppsala University in Sweden. âBoth looked at the levels of the chemical oxytocin in the urine of test subjects after petting an animal. Oxytocin is the hormone of social bonding, calmness and feeling good and is integral to feelings of attachment in both humans and dogs.â
According to Whitehead, itâs this chemical that helps mothers bond with their babies after giving birth and itâs something that dogs also experience when they have puppies.
âHumans also release oxytocin when we orgasm and itâs thought to be part of the attachment process to a partner,â she adds.
âOxytocin is a neurotransmitter and floods the brain with feel-good hormones. The studies found that when people petted an animal they felt close to, they released oxytocin. There have also been studies to show animals can help reduce bloodÂ pressure and heart rate in humans.â But, sadly, not all animals do the trick.
âItâs any pet you are close to,â she stresses. âIf you hate rats, then petting one wonât make you feel good.â