Daily exercise ‘helps to beat the winter blues’

Daily exercise is known to aid slimmers in their attempts to lose weight, but it can also help people to beat the winter blues, an expert has claimed.

Dr Lance Workman, senior lecturer in psychology at Bath Spa University, said that a lack of daylight reduces serotonin levels, which lowers people's mood and can even lead to depression and lethargy.

He advised that employers should be more flexible when it comes to working hours so that their staff can experience more daylight.

"We do know that the more daylight you see the more likely it is to bring you out of this lethargy because this actually boosts productivity, so it's a win-win situation [for employers and employees]," Dr Workman said.

His comments follow the publication of research by Kellogg's, which found that more than three million workers in the UK do not see daylight during the working week after the clocks go back.

How much daylight to you get to experience on a typical day?