Why winter makes you so tired.

Quick answer. Feeling more tired in winter is common in the UK. The days are short, people spend more time indoors and move less, and routines slip after the clocks go back. Regular meals, daylight, movement and a steady sleep routine help most. If tiredness lasts for weeks or comes with other symptoms, see a GP.

Is it normal to feel tired in winter?

Very. In London the shortest day has 7 hours 50 minutes of daylight, against more than 16 hours in June. Edinburgh gets less than 7. When the light goes, so does a lot of what keeps a day moving: the walk after work, the time outside at the weekend, the evening plans.

What usually happens is not one big change but several small ones at once:

• Less daylight. Many people see almost none on a working weekday from November to January.
• Less movement. Dark evenings and wet weekends cut out the activity that happens without planning.
• More time indoors. Warm, still rooms and long evenings in front of a screen.
• A routine that slips. Later nights, lie-ins, skipped breakfasts, and the clocks changing on 25 October.

What the NHS suggests.

The NHS has a page of self-help tips to fight tiredness. They are not seasonal, but they map neatly onto what winter changes.

• Eat often. The NHS suggests "regular meals and healthy snacks every 3 to 4 hours", rather than a large meal less often.
• Get moving. In the NHS's words, "regular exercise will make you feel less tired in the long run."
• Sleep well. "Many people don't get the sleep they need to stay alert through the day." A regular routine is the first of the NHS's tips for sleeping better.
• Cut out caffeine. The NHS points out that "caffeine is a stimulant which means it makes you feel more awake", and recommends cutting down gradually. If you have trouble sleeping, it suggests avoiding caffeine in the evening.
• Drink less alcohol. The NHS notes "you sleep less deeply after drinking alcohol".
• Drink more water. "Sometimes you feel tired simply because you're mildly dehydrated."

Five small changes for the dark months.

1. Get daylight at lunchtime.

From November the brightest part of the day is usually the middle of it. Ten or twenty minutes outside at lunch is often the only daylight a working day offers. Put it in the diary.

2. Keep the same wake-up time all week.

Weekend lie-ins feel earned in winter, but a wake-up time that moves by two hours on Saturday makes Monday harder.

3. Move the exercise into the light.

If the after-work walk or run has gone because of the dark, move it to the morning or lunchtime rather than dropping it. Our guide to running through a UK winter covers doing it safely in the dark too.

4. Eat breakfast, and plan it.

Dark mornings make breakfast easy to skip. Set it up the night before so it takes no thought.

5. Watch the evenings.

Long dark evenings drift into late nights. Caffeine late in the day and alcohol both make the next morning harder.

Where nutrition fits.

Food is the foundation, and a varied, balanced diet comes first. Some vitamins and minerals hold an authorised claim in Great Britain: that they contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. These are the ones in a scoop of Immufix at a level that allows the claim:

NRV is the nutrient reference value, the daily amount used on food labels. A nutrient has to be present at 15% of its NRV or more before the claim can be made about it. Every amount in Immufix is listed on the science page.

When to see a GP.

Ordinary winter tiredness eases with routine. Tiredness that does not, that lasts for weeks, or that comes with other symptoms is a reason to see a GP rather than to change your diet. The NHS says that tiredness which rest and sleep do not relieve may have an underlying medical cause, and that a GP is the person to ask.

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, speak to your GP or pharmacist before taking any food supplement.