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Danes less effective during winter

Christian Wenande
February 2nd, 2016


This article is more than 8 years old.

63 percent have experienced feeling winter exhaustion

It can be a tall order dragging yourself out of bed in the dark mornings during a Danish winter sometimes. But a new YouGov survey on behalf of lamp producer Needlite has revealed the dark and cold months have other consequences.

The survey showed that more than six out of ten Danes (63 percent) experience feeling winter exhaustion – symptoms include having less energy, worse moods and needing more sleep – during the dour winter months.

Poul Videbech, a professor in psychiatry at Glostrup Psychiatric Centre, contended that this also impacts on the effectiveness of workers in Denmark.

“Many Danes are sapped of energy and some even become sad during the winter period because of the decrease in light and temperature,” said Videbech.

The lack of daylight can influence effectiveness at work, which again is frustrating for the individual who is already plagued by bad moods. If you work in an office space that isn’t penetrated by daylight, especially during winter, you should be extra aware of the symptoms.”

READ MORE: Veterinarians warn that winter weather is hard on pets

Lamps could help
Videbech
suggested that one way to get around the issue was to use light-therapy lamps at the office.

It’s a great benefit if you can get daylight in the office all day – particularly if the lamp has an effect without the person needing to look directly into it,” said Videbech.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”