Does winter get you down?
As we head into January it’s surely we can’t start to think about Spring and Summer now, isn’t it? Whilst we get through these final months of cold, wet and dreary weather, a new report has unveiled the effects of winter on our body and mind.
The ‘D Light’ report out today has found that British workers feel miserable during the winter from a lack of exposure to daylight which impacts the health of our minds, bodies and the economy.
Commissioned by Linwoods Superfoods, the research was conducted with over 2,000 UK adults in employment to find how the wintry months are affecting day to day lives. The results revealed that one fifth of British workers don’t get out during daylight hours from Monday to Friday and the average weight increase was at least 4.3lbs for Brits over the months December to February.
PRODUCTIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE
With most workers struggling to get outside in the colder months, results revealed the lack of vitamin D from daylight deprivation was at the heart of workers winter woes and not getting enough exposure to natural light has in turn impacted productivity in the workplace.
The winter season could potentially cost the British economy over £20 billion from December to February, at a rate of £690 per employee.
And 13% of employees confess to making more mistakes at work in winter because they feel more tired and cold.
WINTER WOES
Up to 85% of workers believe that they suffer with symptoms of the winter blues with 60% admitting that they want to hibernate for the whole season and wake up when it’s warm. With tolerance levels plummeting along with the temperatures, the top 10 winter pet peeves include:
- Getting ill
- De-icing the car
- Soaring heating bills
- Cold feet (39%)
- Commuting in the dark
- Snow
- Dry skin
- Chapped lips
- Putting on weight
- Struggling to dry washing
Femalefirst Taryn Davies
Tagged in Health Winter Health