The Nordic countries are no strangers to the long, dark winter.
No description availableRead full article: From a high of 70 on Sunday to a morning low of 38 on Tuesday morning—welcome to Houston!HFD: Dozens evacuated after reported ammonia leak at Memorial City MallPeople enjoy the sunny weather with the Helsinki Cathedral of the background in Helsinki, Finland, Friday, Nov.
14, 2025. People enjoy the sunny weather with the Helsinki Cathedral of the background in Helsinki, Finland, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. People walking along the square are reflected in a puddle in Helsinki, Finland, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved People enjoy the sunny weather with the Helsinki Cathedral of the background in Helsinki, Finland, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. Despite little to no daylight — plus months of frigid temperatures — people who live in northern Europe and above the Arctic Circle have learned how to cope mentally and physically with the annual onset of the winter blues, which can begin as early as October and last into April for some.will occur Dec. 21, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. While sunlight increases daily after that, winter won't be over for a while yet. The Associated Press spoke to experts in Norway, Sweden and Finland about the winter blues. Here's how they suggest looking for light, literally and figuratively, during the darkest months of the year:Dr. Timo Partonen, a research professor at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, said the dark winter affects our With limited daylight, our internal body clocks cannot reset or synchronize properly and it throws off our sleep. We may sleep longer in the winter, he said, but we don't wake up refreshed and can remain tired the rest of the day. Partonen recommended trying a dawn simulator, sometimes known as a sunrise alarm clock, to gradually light up your bedroom and ease you awake. In addition to being more tired, we're more likely to withdraw from others socially in the wintertime. We're more irritable, Partonen said, and more prone to fights with friends.And since keeping up with exercise is also key to combating the winter blues, consider inviting a friend along for a workout. It could also help keep off the wintertime weight gain — typically 2 to 5 kilograms a year, Partonen said — that's fed by cravings for carbohydrates, especially in the evenings.patients typically have episodes of depression that begin in the fall and ease in the spring or summer. A milder form, subsyndromal SAD, is recognized by medical experts, and there’s also a summer variety of seasonal depression, though less is known about it. Scientists are learning how specialized cells in our eyes turn the blue wavelength part of the light spectrum into neural signals affecting mood and alertness. Sunlight is loaded with the blue light, so when the cells absorb it, our brains’ alertness centers are activated and Researcher Kathryn Roecklein at the University of Pittsburgh tested people with and without SAD to see how their eyes reacted to blue light. As a group, people with SAD were less sensitive to blue light than others, especially during winter months. That suggests a cause for wintertime depression. In severe cases, people need clinical support and antidepressant medications. Christian Benedict, a pharmacology professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, suggests light therapy for people with SAD as well as those who have a milder case of the winter blues. “It’s not like it’s a fate, an annual or a seasonal fate, and you cannot do anything about it,” Benedict said. “There are possibilities to affect it.” A routine of morning light therapy, using devices that emit light about 20 times brighter than regular indoor light, can be beneficial for both people with and without SAD. The light therapy helps to kickstart your circadian rhythm and increases serotonin in your brain, Benedict said. Research supports using a light that’s about 10,000 lux, a measure of brightness, for 30 minutes every morning. Special lights run from $70 to $400, though some products marketed for SAD are not bright enough to be useful. Your insurance company might cover at least part of the cost if you’ve been diagnosed with SAD.And don't forget to, well, look on the bright side. It's crucial to embrace winter instead of dreading it, according to Ida Solhaug, an associate professor in psychology at the University of Tromsø, also known as the Arctic University of Norway — the world's northernmost university. Prioritize a positive outlook as a survival strategy and learn to appreciate the change in seasons. It's a typical Norwegian way of thinking, she said, that can make all the difference when there's very little daylight for months.But don't hibernate all winter. After the film finishes, head outside with a thermos for fika, the traditional Swedish coffee break. Even during cloudy days, a quick walk in the fresh air will help, she said. And if you're brave enough, do Solhaug tries to jump into the frigid waters off the coast of Tromsø, an island 350 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, at least once a week, adding that it makes her feel revitalized during the long winter.After all, as many Nordic people say, there’s no such thing as bad weather — only bad clothing.“Take an ice bath and then followed up by a sauna and do one more ice bath, one more sauna, then a shower and go out there. You’ll manage,” Stubb said.Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.From a high of 70 on Sunday to a morning low of 38 on Tuesday morning—welcome to Houston!Today feels perfectly seasonable, but bundle up starting tomorrow nightHouston attorney Tony Buzbee calls for new investigator in Brianna Aguilera caseTop stories in the Houston area todayDrivers brace for months-long I-10 lane closures near downtown HoustonInside the hours before a Texas A&M student’s fatal fall from an Austin high-rise apartmentMisty, dreary and totally tiny totals todaySuspect exchanges gunfire with Houston police during traffic stopRecent water bill spikes leave Houston area residents frustrated, confusedRats run Houston City Hall... at night. Dozens of rodents seen running around after sunset
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Nordic people know how to beat the winter blues. Here's how to find light in the darkest monthsThe Nordic countries are no strangers to the long, dark winter.
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How Nordic countries embrace the long dark winter and beat the bluesThe Nordic countries are no strangers to the long, dark winter. Despite little to no daylight, people who live in parts of northern Europe have learned how to cope mentally and physically with the annual onset of the winter blues. The winter solstice will occur Dec.
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Nordic people know how to beat the winter blues. Here's how to find light in the darkThe Nordic countries are no strangers to the long, dark winter
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Nordic people know how to beat the winter blues. Here's how to find light in the darkest monthsThe Nordic countries are no strangers to the long, dark winter.
Read more »