THE shift in season can take its toll on your health, especially your gut.
If you feel out of sorts, you might be suffering from a phenomenon called winter gut lag.
Gut lag often occurs when you get off a long flight.
As winter approaches, you might not be crossing a time zone, but there are a number of shifts that occur when you cross seasons.
When the colder months hit, fewer daylight hours combined with a substantial drop in air temperature can affect your body clock.
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Your body naturally runs off an internal 24-hour cycle called the circadian rhythm.
This process resets daily and is responsible for the physical, mental and behavioural changes that take place from morning to night.
The circadian rhythm is very sensitive to environmental changes and it can take time to play catch-up as we transition from one season to another.
It all starts with the gut
Gut microbes can be affected by seasonal changes, explains Dr Kerry Aston, founder of The Movement Medic.
“Just like our bodies have to adjust to shifting temperatures, our gut microbiome needs to adapt as well,” Dr Kerry says.
A study in May of this year found that the human gut microbiome may fluctuate at different times of the day and between seasons.
For example, bacteria known as proteobacteria was found to drop to low levels in the winter but peak in summer, researchers at the University of California San Diego found.
Our environment can cause variations in gut bacteria - what you eat, where you live and even your pets.
And studies on animals have found that colder temperatures coincide with a decrease in the diversity of good bacteria strains.
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Poor gut = poor health
The health of your gut relies on many different species of bacteria, so if one type of bacteria is unable to carry out its function, another can intercept and do the job instead.
A poorer diversity of strains means this process cannot work as efficiently.
Greater gut bacteria diversity is linked to general health - both physical and mental.
For example, gut bacteria may play a role in how the body processes vitamin D, according to one study by US San Diego Health.
Vitamin D is an important fat-soluble nutrient which plays a role in balancing mood and immunity amongst its other crucial functions.
We already struggle to get enough vitamin D due to fewer daylight hours during winter.
And low levels of gut bacteria may hamper the process of converting inactive vitamin D into its active form.
This can result in low mood and an increased susceptibility to illness.
Other factors may worsen winter gut lag, including a hormonal imbalance, chronic fatigue, carrying a few extra pounds, and having a sluggish metabolism.
The good news is that looking after the gut and helping the body adjust to winter may help some of the main symptoms of winter gut lag.
Some of the potential symptoms of winter gut lag are:
- Bloating and gas
- Abdominal pain
- Upset stomach
- Changes to bowel habits (constipation/bouts of diarrhoea)
- Low mood
- Reduced immunity
- Feeling sluggish
- Irregular sleep pattern
But according to Dr Kerry, you can combat these nightmare problems by doing the following.
1. Get moving
Make time for some morning yoga to help boost serotonin levels, reduce stress, and ease tension in the body tissues that contribute to digestive woes.
Dr Kerry said: “Practising certain yoga postures, such as thunderbolt pose in the morning can help alleviate digestive issues by promoting blood flow to the stomach.
“The pose involves sitting on your heels with your spine and neck straight.
“Relax your hands on your thighs with your palms facing down.
“Look straight ahead and take deep breaths while holding this position for at least 30 seconds.”
2. Upgrade your coffee
The hashtag #Lemoncoffee has been trending for a while on TikTok, primarily used to try to speed up weight loss.
But adding a splash of lemon juice to your morning coffee could also help to jump start your energy levels whilst giving your digestive system a detoxifying kickstart.
If you’re not a coffee fan, plain old warm water with a squeeze of lemon is an equally good option.
“Adding lemon to water can enhance hydration and is naturally cleansing,” adds Dr Kerry.
The effect is due to citric acid which is found in lemon juice.
This natural substance helps to increase gastric acid production which speeds up digestion.
3. Get your daily dose of sunshine
Just 10 minutes of direct sunlight exposure can have a huge impact on gut health by helping to stabilise levels of vitamin D.
As already mentioned, levels of gut bacteria and the sunshine vitamin are closely intertwined.
But with sunny days few and far between in winter, the NHS recommends adults supplement between November and March.
Dr Kerry said: “Direct sunlight exposure is the most natural way for our bodies to produce vitamin D.
“However, it’s worth noting that during the winter months, the angle of the sun in many regions may not provide sufficient UVB radiation for vitamin D synthesis.
“This is why considering a vitamin D supplement to get the recommended 10 mcg during winter can be beneficial.”
Timing is everything when it comes to vitamin D, so take your supplement at breakfast or lunch because having it late could affect your sleep.
You should also take it alongside a meal containing healthy fats such as avocado, nuts and seeds.
4. Sleep soundly
According to the latest science by experts at King's College London and personalised nutrition company ZOE, a regular sleep pattern encourages a diversity of gut microbes.
However, experiencing even small shifts in your sleep routine across the week can negatively affect the number of specific bacteria in the gut.
You might find that you naturally sleep more in winter.
This is because fewer sunlight hours stimulate a rise in the sleep hormone melatonin, but it’s important to try and keep to a regular routine to keep your digestive environment balanced.
Dr Kerry said: “Sleep plays a vital role in supporting various bodily systems, including the digestive system.
“Secondly, lack of sleep can elevate stress levels, leading to imbalances in hormones such as cortisol.
“Increased stress can contribute to intestinal permeability issues, often referred to as leaky gut.”
Create a relaxing bedtime environment to encourage sleep.
Lighting scented candles, listening to a relaxing sound bath and avoiding screen time one hour before bedtime can help.
If you’re adventurous, you could try mouth taping - the TikTok trend of taping your mouth with skin-safe tape to encourage nose breathing (although there’s no scientific evidence to back up the claims, advocates say it helps to improve sleep quality).
