BRITS aren’t getting enough crucial sunlight according to new research.
Short days and lockdown have not helped, with 43% of people in the north west unaware they can’t get any of the crucial nutrients from the sun during winter months.
Research by dairy cooperative Arla reveals how the colder weather has massively impacted happiness, with well over a third (38%) claiming their wellbeing has been made worse by the latest lockdown.
And even as days get longer and warmer, motivation remains a key issue, with 34% of those surveyed claiming they hadn’t hit the magical 10,000 step barrier in three weeks, while shockingly, nearly a quarter (24%) confessed they never have.
Moreover, 22% put their lack of outside activity down to having no motivation to leave the house, and three-quarters cited the weather as being a deterrent to embracing the great outdoors.
Despite this, 45% revealed they had managed to muster the get-up and go, and forced themselves outside in the hope of getting some mood-enhancing vitamin D, with eight in ten associating the sun with having a positive impact on their mind and 64% stating a lack of sunshine affects their overall wellbeing.
Research by Arla, whose Big Milk brand is enriched with essential nutrients like vitamin D, also showed nearly half (47%) stated they’re more aware, post-pandemic, of what vitamins and nutrients our bodies need for a balanced diet.
“It’s alarming that many of us are still relying on sunshine alone to get our vitamin D fix, not realising UV levels are so low,” said Arla’s Danny Micklethwaite.
“Getting enough vitamin D from the sun can be tough or near impossible in the winter months.”
