January Brain

January brain—otherwise known as the winter blues—is a phenomenon where people feel more sluggish and tired in the wintertime, particularly during the month of January. The idea is that different seasons have a biological impact on how the mind functions.

An 18-month study took 28 healthy individuals and placed them in a controlled indoor environment without any seasonal cues for 5 days throughout the year. Placing participants indoors removed sunlight, and this allowed the researchers to see how seasons affect the brain without outside influences. They found that on average, their brain function relating to attention was best in the summertime (June) and worse in the winter (January).

This has led to the idea that January Brain is a biological phenomena; That we indeed function at a lower level in the winter than we do in the summer, even without any stimulus from the natural environment.

Just to be clear, that is not what the study has proved; It’s just an idea. Many people thrive in the winter, some even more than in the summer. These people have particular ideas about the cold season, and it turns out that ideas can influence how well your brain functions, regardless of the seasons.

Could your ideas be the cause of your winter blues?

In this article, you’ll find out why you feel more tired in the winter, and even how you can override your winter blues with scientific methods that can boost your motivation in even the darkest winters.

Why Do You Feel More Tired in The Winter?

Our body has a 24-hour internal clock called the circadian rhythm that determines our sleep-wake cycle. The circadian rhythm regulates the hormone melatonin which promotes sleep, making you feel tired. Melatonin levels increase in darkness and decrease in light.

In the wintertime, days are shorter, which means more darkness, and therefor, higher levels of melatonin. This can make you feel more tired in the winter.

The summer season is quite different. Days are longer, so there is more light and less darkness, meaning that you will have less melatonin and higher levels of energy and alertness.

Our internal clock has two cycles: Wake and sleep, and it changes based on the amount of light we get, which changes from season to season.

So, the winter blues has some biological truth behind it, and by now, you’re probably asking a very important question:

Is the winter blues entirely biological, or can you override it?

I’ll save you the suspense by telling you that yes, you can absolutely override your winter blues; in fact, it might even be easier than you think, and this article will show you how.

But for all of you knowledge-hungry inspirers out there, here’s a little more helpful information about the reality behind your winter blues.

Is January Brain a Biological Phenomenon?

Let’s think about this for a moment. In the studies showing how seasons affect brain function, people lived indoors without any exposure to natural light/dark cycles of the environment. On average, the participants showed worse brain function related to attention in the winter compared to the summer.

This is interesting because physical exposure to seasons (sunlight and darkness) is what influences mental alertness. However, the participants in the study had no stimulus from the external environment and on average, still functioned worse in the winter than in the summer. Basically, the body—or the mind— knows which season it is without physically being outside to experience those seasons. This could mean two things:

• Previous seasonal exposure persists: Meaning that, if you entered the lab in the winter, it might be that the circadian rhythm would continue to function as if it’s winter (low melatonin, less alert). It would work the same way for summer.
• Thoughts influence how the brain function regardless of the season: Thoughts also persist. Meaning that, if you hate the month of January, you will probably feel more tired and less alert. Afterall, not all the participants had the same result.

While January brain—aka the winter blues—has some biological implications due to seasonal changes of the circadian rhythm, it could also be the result of the mindset a person has about winter. Motivation is difficult to come by when you dislike something, and it could leave you feeling unmotivated and tired. In fact, surveys show that January is the most hated month on the planet.

How to Beat the Winter Blues

The winter blues can stem from high levels of melatonin due to shorter days which can leave people feeling tired and less energetic. We don’t entirely have control over our circadian rhythm, but we do have control over things that can boost energy levels.

If you want to beat the winter blues, think in terms of energy. Boosting energy levels can override the feeling of sluggishness you might feel in the winter. Here are some science-backed things that you can do to raise your energy levels and help you beat the winter blues.

• Get in All of Your Vitamins, Not Just Vitamin D. Vitamin D is created from sunlight, so it’s especially important that your body has good amounts in the wintertime; However, vitamin D won’t be as effective without other vitamins. Different vitamins compliment each other, especially the fat-soluble ones. For example, vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, but vitamin K2 is responsible for transporting it throughout your body. This is the reason why you will often find that one fat soluble vitamin is grouped with another.

• Increase Sleep Quality, Not Quantity: If you are already feeling more tired in the winter, then sleeping more will add to the problem. When your quality of sleep increases, the quantity of your sleep naturally decreases. This is because high-quality sleep allows you to go through the sleep cycles quicker. High-quality sleep can do wonders for your January brain fog. There’s a supplement called ZMA (Zinc, Magnesium, and Vitamin B6) that can help increase the quality of your sleep. In addition to that, you can learn how to increase REM sleep and recharge your mind tonight!

• Exercise in The Mornings, Not in The Evenings: Morning exercises have been shown to counteract the increase in melatonin during shorter daylight hours. This is because morning exercises delay circadian rhythms. A delayed circadian rhythm pushes the bodies internal clock to a later time so that you don’t feel tired in the evening, making you more energized. On the other hand, evening workouts advances circadian rhythms, meaning that it pushes the bodies internal clock forward, making you feel tired much earlier.
• Choose a Diet With Higher Protein: Studies have shown that a high-protein diet makes the body work harder to digest food, burning more energy and contributing to feeling more full and energized. When a person eats protein, their body burns 20-30% of those calories just to digest it. Even more amazing is that for every 10% more protein you eat, your body burns an extra 29 kilojoules of energy. For example, if 30% of your calories come from protein, your body will burn about 58 kJ more per day than if you ate only 20% protein. This is unheard of with carbs and fats. Lean sources of protein keeps you full and energized for longer, and by the time your next meal comes around, the protein from that meal keeps you energized for another few hours up until the time you go to bed.

Changing Your Idea About Winter Can Help You Thrive More

One thing is almost certainly true: If you begin to find things that you like about January, it might not change your circadian rhythm, but it will get you out of bed quicker on a cold winter morning.

Some people function at their best in January. Katie Camero is a health reporter for BuzzFeed, and she’s one of them. Her reasons for liking the month of January are not tremendously big reasons, but they’ve allowed her to thrive in the winter, even more than the summer.

And if you’ve ever met someone who looks forward to the winter, then you’ll probably notice that they also look forward to the little things. So, for every breezy winter morning, step outside and take a deep breath of cool winter air. Enjoy it. Sleep well, eat good, and do morning exercises for at least a few days in the week.

Keep a log. Compare the days that you try these energy boosting methods with the days you don’t. If you find that you have more energy, you might start to love that feeling, and that’s what’s going to keep you consistent with it.

And who knows, this could be the winter where you thrive; making all the future winters to come even better than you can imagine.

Upside-Down Trains

If you’ve never seen an upside-down train before, you’ll love this.

Okay, its not entirely true that this train is upside down—unless you’re considering the upside of the train being attached to the downside of a structure (which sounds even crazier). But whatever you’d like to call it, these trains are all the hype, and it has us wondering:

Could we be seeing more of these trains in the future and what would be the benefits?

What Are Upside-Down Trains Called?

The “upside-down train”, or “upside-down railways”, are really called suspension trains or suspension railways. This make sense because the train is literally suspended from an overhead track.

There are six operable “upside-down trains” in the world: Three in Germany, two in Japan, and one in India.

Upside-down Trains in Germany

The first concept for a suspension railway was developed in England in the early 1800’s, but the first successful one was built in Wuppertal, a city in Germany in 1901.

What made it so successful? Well, it’s still standing today, and it’s called the Wuppertal Schwebebahn.

Schwebe means to “float” or “hover” and bahn means “railway” or “train”. So, Schwebebahn can mean either “floating railway” or “hovering train”; both of which are very cool sounding alternatives to suspensions railways.

Wuppertal Germany is known for this particular suspension railway; in fact, this “hovering train” is cited number one for the top attraction in Wuppertal on Tripadvisor.

Why Are There So Many Hanging Monorails In Germany?

When a country is known for something because of its great success, they tend to ride the wave and create more of that thing. Afterall, that’s its pride and glory.

The U.S, as an example, has arguably produced some of the best movies on the planet. So, it’s no surprise that America is known for Hollywood entertainment, and the result is that the U.S. produces the most number of movies by far.

For this reason, you’ll find that the majority of hanging Monorails trains are located in Germany, and it turns out that there could be some subtle benefits to these railways.

Advantages of Upside-down Trains

The obvious advantage of upside-down trains is they avoid traffic congestion, saving commuters valuable time. This is true of regular monorails, but upside-down monorails can offer a slight advantage because they are very space efficient. In densely populated areas, space efficiency could mean significantly less traffic congestion, which could make them even more ideal than regular monorails.

A more subtle advantage is that views from high above are psychologically healthy. Infact, something as simple as a view from a window has shown to improve attention, reduce negative emotions, and even lower stress.

Passengers in the U.S. alone commute billions of kilometres a year on trains to and from work. Upside-down trains can make a positive difference for these commuters, especially if it provides a view of nature below.

Which brings us to the last advantage: Upside-down railways can be created with minimal environmental impact. It can navigate steep gradients, tight curves, and challenging terrain without disrupting natural landscapes. So, not only does it function like a regular monorail, but it provides the opportunity for some pretty amazing views of nature that boost the productivity of commuters as they head to work or school.

Where Are All the Up-side Down Railways Located?

• 1. Wuppertal Schwebebahn (Germany)

• Opened: 1901

Wuppertal Schwebebahn is the oldest and most famous hanging railway in the world. It runs over the Wupper River and streets of Wuppertal. It is a key part of the city’s public transport network. Imagine that!

• 2. Chiba Urban Monorail (Japan)
• Opened: 1988.

This is the world’s longest suspended monorail and it extends over 15 kilometers. It connects major areas in the city of Chiba and is used by both local commuters and tourists.

• 3. Shonan Monorail (Japan)
• Opened: 1970

The Shonan Monorail is arguably the most scenic suspended monorail, and it definitely has our pick. It runs from Kamakura to Fujisawa, which is about 6km, and offers commuters with some incredible views of the coastline.

• 4. Schwebebahn Dresden (Germany)
• Opened: 1901

This upside-down train is in Dresden Germany and is the second-oldest suspended railway in Germany.

• 5. Dortmund H-Bahn (Germany)
• Opened: 1984

This is the mode of transportation for the Dortmund University campus. It shuttles students and faculty between different areas. Talk about some lucky students.

• 6. Skybus Metro Test Track (India)
• In the Works: 2004 (Test Operations)

This is a test track in Goa and is currently part of an experimental elevated rail system. It was introduced to address urban transportation challenges like traffic congestion, which is a huge concern in India. Trails started in 2004 and stopped shortly after, but interest still remains, and it’s likely that India could be the first to start seeing upside-down rails in the near future.

Flow Hive

Flow Hive is the most revolutionary invention in beekeeping in history.

The innovation allows beekeepers to tap into honey directly from the hive without the mess and expensive processing equipment inherent in traditional beekeeping.

However, the invention goes beyond simply streamlining the harvesting process. The idea of Flow Hive started when founder Cedar Anderson was just a boy. He wanted to save the bees from being crushed when harvesting honey, and he and his father eventually created a very successful business from it.

How Does Flow Hive Work?

Before Flow Hive, the extraction process of honey involved breaking the hive to get to the honeycomb cells, manually removing the beeswax to get to the honey, and then using an extractor to collect the honey.

By comparison, Flow Hive uses Flow Frames, which the honey bees fill with wax and form honey on. When honey is formed, a Flow Key is inserted and rotated, which allows honey to flow right out of the Flow Frame and into a cup or jar, similar to turning on a faucet.

No breaking, no mess, no expensive processing equipment, and for those who would like to save the bees, no disturbed bees.

A Father and Son Bond is an Incredible Thing

Flow Hive’s are like a mini house that even the most spirited bees would be happy to call their home. Founders Stuart Anderson and his son Cedar come from three generations of beekeepers. This culture formed a father-son bond, creating the most innovative invention in beekeeping history.

How Did Flow Hive Start?

Flow Hive started in the mind of Cedar when he was just a child who felt bad that so many bees were being crushed while harvesting honey.

Imagine, a young boy raised to admire the social creatures that have sustained his family’s livelihood for three generations, and some of those very creatures are being harmed in the process.

A child’s innocence is a remarkable thing, but who would have known that it would become such a lucrative business?

“The first idea was simply that there must be a better way, and I’d been thinking about that from a very young age.”

That idea—brought about by a feeling in a young boy’s heart—eventually created the prototype which broke crowdfunding records.

Within 10 minutes on Indiegogo, they had surpassed their goal of raising $70,000, and within 15 minutes, they had already raised $250,000.

The campaign raised a total of $14,959,087, making it one of the most successful crowdfunding campaigns in history.