23/02/2026
The "Winter Tab"
Every February I see the same pattern in clinic.
People come in with stiff lower backs, tight shoulders, headaches that weren't there a few months ago. They assume something's gone wrong.
Usually it hasn't. Their body just lost its rhythm over winter.
Here's what actually happens. Your brain uses morning sunlight to set your internal clock. That clock tells your muscles when to repair, when inflammation should clear, and when your nervous system should switch from "alert" to "rest and recover."
Three months of short days and artificial light means that switch gets stuck. Your body stays tense. Not because it's injured, but because it never got the signal to let go.
The light is coming back now. One simple thing you can do this week: get outside before 9am for 10 minutes. No sunglasses. Let the light reset the clock.
Your body will thank you.
Recent research published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (2025) now recognises circadian rhythm disruption as a central factor in disc degeneration and chronic low back pain. This isn't fringe science. It's the direction mainstream research is heading. And a Stanford Medicine study (2025) found that prioritising morning light could prevent 300,000 strokes annually through better circadian alignment.
Research:
- Disc degeneration and circadian rhythm: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12171443/
- Stanford morning light: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2025/09/daylight-saving-time.html
