“Blue Monday”: how to fight the winter blues?

Professor Pierre Philip, however, wants to reassure: “It is normal to feel sluggish. Depression is a physiological phenomenon, normal, we don't have to beat ourselves up. We cannot be on top 365 days a year. This model of permanent good humor is both physiological and psychological heresy. Our morale fluctuates naturally: it’s completely normal! »

For the specialist, “the major difference between depression and a depressive state is a notion of duration and intensity of the symptoms. »

Signs of depression
To define a depressive state, at least five of the following symptoms must be present more than three days a week and for more than fifteen days:
– this depressed mood must be present practically all day;
– marked reduction in pleasure for activities;
– significant weight loss or gain in the absence of a diet;
– insomnia or hypersomnia;
– psychomotor agitation or slowing down;
– fatigue or loss of energy;
– feeling of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt;
– decreased ability to think or concentrate;
– recurring thoughts of death.

Modest actions

Winter is a season conducive to poor morale: the cold, the lack of light, less physical activity, “the desire to eat pizza and fast food… However, your sleep, your nutrition, your physical activity, the biological determinants, are major factors in giving you the energy to recover good behaviors and good morale. »

According to the specialist, by combining very modest actions, we could regain high morale in six weeks: “Get up at the same time, 15 minutes of physical activity per day, a varied diet.”

Good sleep hygiene

“Sleep is a very powerful element for improving mood. Moreover, today, we are moving towards the idea that sleep disorders are a cause and not necessarily a consequence of mental pathologies. » The professor recommends waking up every day at the same time in order to have a constant duration of awakening which should be 17 hours. Therefore, it is advisable to get up at around the same time every day. “We can have 1 hour of variability between the week and the weekend, but not more. » He also recommends “having a minimum of 17 hours of wakefulness before going to bed. For example: if you get up at 7 a.m., don't go to bed before 11 p.m., if you get up at 8 a.m., not before midnight, etc. »

5 minutes of physical activity per day

Physical activity helps release endorphins (and other neurotransmitters), which promote well-being and help reduce stress. Even moderate daily activity, such as a walk, helps reduce stress and improves mood. Even if it is recommended to practice the equivalent of at least 30 minutes of brisk walking per day at least five times per week for adults and the equivalent of at least 60 minutes per day for children and adolescents, “ 5 minutes of physical activity per day has therapeutic effects on depression. »

An anti-inflammatory diet

If diet is a very promising avenue for preventing depression and maintaining good health, “we must, however, understand that the effect is primarily preventive and not curative: diet prevents us from plunging into depression but does not don't come out when you've fallen into it. »

“Two major mechanisms impact the health of the human body and can be modulated by diet: low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress. Modern industrial diets that are high in calories, ultra-salty and rich in free fatty acids, such as fast food, promote low-grade inflammation and, in fact, degrade mood. »

To counter inflammation, it is recommended to adopt the Mediterranean diet: dried fruits, olive oil, fish, dried vegetables (lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc.)… “Cranberries are also very good,” adds the professor. He also recommends the Japanese diet (based on whole foods, fish, seafood and plant-based foods).

A large number of fruits and vegetables act favorably on oxidative stress, in particular onions, eggplants but also legumes, cereals, etc. Trace elements (zinc, copper, selenium, calcium, magnesium, etc.) are also very good. allies by acting as modulators of enzymatic reactions: they are found in seafood, dried vegetables, brewer's yeast, offal, fish.

Note that reducing obesity (which promotes inflammation) can also have a positive effect on the risk of depression.

Biological risk factors

Mood modulation is therefore not only due to “environmental” factors: it would also be due to biological factors. “Low-grade inflammation is an intracellular mechanism that causes profound damage. This inflammation is implicated in, among other things, depressive syndromes: 25% of psychiatric patients present a high level of cerebral inflammation. By releasing certain substances, such as cytokines, this inflammation disrupts the production and regulation of neurotransmitters involved in mood modulation. »