The doctor admitted to his fans that he was struggling
Popular TV doctor Amir Khan has seen his loyal fans rally around him after admitting he was struggling with the dark days and cold weather of winter. Dr Khan has acquired a legion of fans after his regular TV appearances and frequent medical updates issued via social media.
However, from time to time he posts about his personal situation. On this occasion, it was to admit that he was struggling, especially with the lack of daylight at this time of year.
In London, there is currently a little more than eight hours between sunrise and sunset every day at the moment. “Guys, is anyone else just completely knackered? Honestly, this winter is messing with my circadian rhythm. We’re not supposed to come to work in the dark and go home in the dark,” he said.
“I mean, animals know that’s not the case. They hibernate or they migrate. They certainly don’t have to work and answer emails and all of that stuff. Oh, I am not built for this.
“Honestly, I feel like we should only have to work during daylight hours, which is like 9:00 till 3:00. Honestly, I’m so tired. And also, it’s so cold, and my ancestry is not designed for this. I’m a brown person. I am built for the tropics, you know, the sun, vitamin D, all year round. I’m not built for ice and mammoths and big woolly coats. I’m not.”
But Dr Khan’s fans were quick to rally around him. One said: “Meeeeeee! I was still at work at 6.30pm and it felt like it was midnight! Roll on spring.”
Another said: “I always think I’d like to be more hedgehog during winter, and just wake up in the Spring after a lovely sleep!,” while a third added: “You’re so sweet Dr.Amir and right. We should work during the day light.”
One said: “Agree completely! My theory is that we’re designed to ‘hibernate’. If we think about when we used to be self sufficient – farming, growing our own food etc. When there wasn’t electricity. We would have worked throughout the longer daylight hours in the summer, and in the shorter winter days, resting more when it was dark. Clearly progress is good, electricity is essential, etc. but I’m not sure our bodies have kept up with the way society has changed and how fast paced it is now? Just my thoughts!”
The winter is often when people experience Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). According to the NHS, this is a type of depression that usually happens in the winter. Treatments include antidepressants, talking therapies and light therapy.
READ MORE: What Gordon Ramsay eats each day after losing three stoneREAD MORE: ‘My dad fell ill on drive home. He died in my arms minutes later’
Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include:
- low mood
- a lack of interest in things you usually enjoy
- feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
- feeling restless or irritable
- difficulty concentrating
- being more hungry and eating more than usual
- being more tired and sleeping more than usual
- thoughts of suicide or self-harm
The main symptom of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is depression that happens in the winter and goes away in the summer. Some people also have a period of feeling more energetic than usual at the start of spring or summer.
Some people have depression symptoms in summer instead, but this is less common. If you think you might have SAD, or you have been diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder and treatment is not helping, you should see you GP.
If you are 18 or over (or 16 or over in some areas), you can refer yourself directly to an NHS talking therapies service without a referral from a GP.
