Tip: Set a reminder on your calendar sometime between 10 am and 3 pm every day to pop outside and feel a few minutes of sunshine on your face.
Your stock portfolio will thank you!
HEALTH TIPS FOR BUSY PEOPLE
The Pulse delivers fresh insights every month to help you make healthy changes and live your best life. Got 5 minutes? The Pulse from 1Med can make you healthier.
Welcome to your first issue of The Pulse, the monthly health and
wellbeing cheatsheet exclusively for 1Med clients.
The healthcare information available today is confusing, overwhelming and often boring. I want to cut through the noise and give 1Med clients clear, helpful info that helps you actually achieve your health goals.
We’re always scanning unconventional disciplines for insights that will optimize your health. From medical research and management findings to movies, memes and Ministry updates… we’re keeping a finger on the pulse of what matters most.
If you have feedback on The Pulse or suggestions for future topics, please get in touch.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
If you’ve been feeling “off” since the time change, you’re not alone. Over the winter months, shorter days make many Canadians SAD and hungry for carbs.
Seasonal depression, also called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is a type of depression. It’s triggered by the change of seasons and most commonly begins in late fall. Symptoms include feelings of sadness, lack of energy, loss of interest in usual activities, oversleeping and weight gain. Treatments include light therapy, talk therapy and antidepressants.
You can read more about SAD symptoms, who’s most at risk, and your treatment options at The Cleveland Clinic health blog.
TikToker @bydlanhollis shares his hilarious - and painfully accurate - take on seasonal depression.
Seasonal depression makes investors timid
Pessimism and the fluctuating emotions associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder may be hurting your investment portfolio.
An article in the National Bureau of Economic Research reported that “seasonal variation in investors’ moods can lead to both overpricing and underpricing of assets.” As the theory goes, investors who are predisposed to SAD are typically more pessimistic and therefore likely to limit their exposure to risk. During periods of shorter daylight, they are likely to opt for safer investments such as treasury bonds. Those under the influence of “low mood states” are also more likely to sell stocks rather than buy them.
Another study found similar results for initial public offerings: Companies that go public in the winter or fall were more likely to be underpriced in order to induce investment.
The takeaway for individuals? Before you pick up the phone and ask your financial advisor to sell those struggling stocks, pop a Vitamin D and check the Weather Network for “Total hours of daylight.” Your decision may not be as rational as you think.
And the takeaway for tech entrepreneurs going public on stock exchanges far from the equator? Hold off your IPO until the heady, optimistic days of March.
Source: MarketWatch. “The stock market suffers from seasonal affective disorder too.”
Tip: Set a reminder on your calendar sometime between 10 am and 3 pm every day to pop outside and feel a few minutes of sunshine on your face.
Your stock portfolio will thank you!
VITAMIN D: A HOT TOPIC
Of all the vitamins, vitamin D creates the most controversy. Specifically, whether or not we should take vitamin D supplements.
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps your body grow, repairs bones and teeth, improves muscle strength, and reduces inflammation. We can get vitamin D from food like oily fish, red meat, liver, egg yolks and milk. But our main source of vitamin D is the sun. About 10 minutes of sun exposure each day gives you all the vitamin D you need. But over the winter, in northern regions like Canada, the low angle of the sun allows too few of the critical vitamin D-synthesizing UV rays to reach us.
THAT is the million dollar question.
The actual dose you need depends on your personal vitamin D level. Traditionally, medical experts recommended doses between 400 and 4000 IU ("International Units") per day. However, a July 2022 study in The New England Journal of Medicine (The VITAL study: the largest, most definitive trial on vitamin D to date) concluded vitamin D had no effect on fractures or any other health conditions - and that people should stop taking vitamin D supplements to prevent major diseases or extend life.
1Med Recommends: Until clinical guidelines are updated based on this new research, follow Health Canada’s current recommendation to take 400 IU daily. For those who still believe in higher doses, take no more than 2000 IU per day - an amount most experts agree is the maximum dose.
And perhaps go outside to get some sun!
P.S. Want to nerd out on medical jargon? Check out the definition of IU ("International Unit") and how it differs from a mass-based unit like mg.
The New Corporate Swag?
A 2020 Forbes article reported that SAD negatively affects motivation and diminishes workplace communication and productivity. Workers with the disorder are also more prone to injuries, accidents and absenteeism, which costs businesses $51 billion annually.
Maybe for this year’s holiday recognition, instead of branded water bottles, the best thing employers can give their employees is a daily outdoor break and a sun lamp.
Source: Society for Human Resource Management. “The Winter Blues: How Less Sunlight Influences Workplace Productivity”
Top 5 Sun Lamps in 2022 Based On Effectiveness, Safety, Convenience, and Price. Trusted Consumer Review
THE PULSE