Episode 63: Why You Feel Heavier, Foggier and Flatter When the Light Starts Fading

Send us your questions & comments As the leaves turn and the days shorten, many women in midlife notice a familiar shift: more fatigue, more brain fog, more carb cravings, and a mood that feels heavier than it should. In this episode, Joanne Willis shares her own seasonal slump, which begins the week she closes up her family's summer trailer. She explains why the darker months hit women so much harder in perimenopause and menopause than they did in their twenties and thirties. Joanne breaks down the "double hit" of fading light and fluctuating estrogen on serotonin, and why melatonin lingering into the day can leave you foggy and craving toast at 3pm. She also explains the "vitamin D winter" that affects most people who live in the northern hemisphere, and how to tell the everyday winter blues from seasonal affective disorder. Drawing on a new Globe and Mail article on the "neuro-wellness" trend, she covers what nervous system regulation really means and why no gadget can replace learning to read your own body. She closes with a hopeful reframe for the season ahead: rest, don't retreat. In this episode, you'll learn: Why shorter days and shifting hormones pull on the same brain chemistry at the same time The surprising reason seasonal low mood so often shows up as carb cravings Why your skin can't make vitamin D for months of the year in Canada and the UK, even on sunny days Which light options have real evidence behind them, including one that works while you sleep and one that kept working longer than light therapy did Exactly what to take, how much, when and for how long, if vitamin D, omega-3 or saffron are part of your plan Three simple steps to start this week so you tend yourself through winter instead of just surviving it Resources mentioned: Neurowellness is all the rage, for better and for worse , The Globe and Mail Episode 41: Why You're Still Exhausted Even After a Full Night's Sleep Episode 61: supplement quality, forms and fat-soluble vs. water-soluble vitamins Ready to get clarity on what's going on inside your body? Book your Complimentary Root Cause Assessment with Joanne Here . We'll look at your unique situation, identify where your key metabolic imbalances might be and create a roadmap for reclaiming your energy and health — naturally and sustainably. No obligation. Just real answers. Want to learn more about The Metabolic Balance Program - the lab-based nutrition program that is unique as your own fingerprint so you can finally get real health and weight loss results that last? Learn more about myself and the program here . Serving clients virtually in both the UK and Canada!