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Did you know that there's a town in Norway just over 300 kilometres from the Arctic Circle where the sun never rises for three months of the year – in a phenomenon called the Polar Night? While this may sound drastic, here in the UK, it can sometimes feel like we aren't too far from our own Polar Night.
Each winter, the days the get shorter (and shorter and shorter). It can sometimes feel like we live half of our lives in darkness. We wake up, it's dark. We head to the office, the sun seems to be thinking abut rising. We work. We leave the office for our lunch break, it's grey. We work. We leave the office — oh, it's dark again.
So, the question on all of our minds during these bleak, dark winter months? When does it start getting lighter?
Tap into the ancient solar festival's magic.
When does it start getting lighter?
With the winter solstice fast approaching, we are nearing the shortest day of the year — yes, it's going to get worse before it gets better!
Officially, days will start to get lighter after the winter solstice on 21 December, which is officially the shortest day of the year. Prepare for a very brutal day with just under eight hours of daylight — 7 hours 49 minutes and 42 seconds in London, to be precise. On 21 December, the sun is set to rise at around 8:04 am before dipping back below the horizon in the mid-afternoon, around 3:54 pm. Meanwhile, those of us that work from home will probably be reaching for our fluffiest blanket, our cosiest candles and our most comforting festive movies. (And who could blame us?)
After the winter solstice, the days will (slowly) begin to get a little longer and lighter again. However, you probably won't really notice the difference until mid-February or so. By then, you may even catch a glimpse of the sun outside of your working hours. On 15 February, for instance, we'll get our first 10 hour day, with the sunrise due at 7:15 am and sunset expected at 5:16 pm.
By March, we'll hit equilibrium, with 12 hour days and 12 hour nights. We're already marking our calendars for the 20 March spring solstice – when the days will officially start to be longer than the nights. On that day, you can expect a 6:04 am sunrise and a 6:13 pm sunset.
How to deal with the long, dark nights in winter
The long, bleak winter nights can take their toll. For some, it can even lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is linked to reduced sunlight and is characterised by symptoms like sadness, anxiety, a lack of energy, poor concentration, low mood and more. Roughly 3% of people in the UK are officially diagnosed with the condition, but it's no secret that increased darkness can make it hard to muster up much energy in the mornings and can even affect our mental health.
Here are a few tips to get you through till after the winter solstice:
- Expose yourself to sunlight whenever you can. If you work from home, get outside for a few minutes as soon as the sun comes up. If you work in an office, try to get some sunlight before work or during your lunch break. There's nothing worse than seeing the sun go down and realise you've missed your chance to get outside at all during the daylight hours.
- Make specific plans during the daylight hours. Instead of meeting up with your friends for dinner or drinks (when it's dark), suggest meeting from a brunch or a lunch so that you get out and about when it's light out.
- Take vitamin D. Studies have shown that vitamin D can help with mood during winter. Plus, it's important to replenish your vitamin D if you aren't getting enough natural sunlight during the day.
- Relish the cosy evenings. Instead of sitting around feeling sad about the lack of sunlight, turn the long nights into a self-care ritual. Light a candle, run a bath and relax.
- Plan a winter solstice party. The long nights aren't forever! In fact, you can even celebrate the days getting longer with a winter solstice party.
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