Everyone may love what winter brings: sniffling noses, sore butts from falling on ice, and the constant anxiety of getting sick. But what people don’t love is the darkness that accompanies the snow.

Yes, the concept of winter is super chill: You have an excuse to burrow in a pile of blankets inside, appreciate nature from inside, drink warm things inside and wear cute clothes inside.

However, winter may not be as great as it seems, and it all begins with the sunshine, or the lack thereof.

During the summer, people are told to avoid soaking up too much sun for fear of developing skin cancer, and during the winter, people are told to make sure they are getting enough sunshine. In short, humans cannot get a break.

It may take some effort to adjust to the fact that you cannot have too much vitamin D in your life and you cannot have too little, but maybe scaring the shit out of you will help you grasp the idea and its importance more.

Although it may seem annoying, people should take this information seriously in order to avoid negative health impacts caused by a vitamin D deficiency. A lack of the D can result in rickets, cutaneous tuberculosis, and an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s in older people, according to Smithsonian writer Brian Handwerk.

Additionally, mental health takes a hit during these darkest days of the year. The decreased sunlight contributes to seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, through a decrease in the production of serotonin, a happy chemical, and a misbalance of the brain’s melatonin, a chemical that helps govern your sleep and mood, according to Handwerk.

SAD, a subtype of depression, involves several symptoms of depression such as a loss of energy, lack of interest, oversleeping and hopelessness, he wrote. Treating yourself to some sun rays or vitamin D pills never sounded so good, right?

There is no need to fret because, with preparation, you can make winter your bitch. What is a better way to prepare for the cold winter nights than to follow advice given by someone who lives in a place where there are 60 polar nights?

People from Norway suggest that people indulge in cod liver oil during the winter time because of its ability to soak up sunny goodness, according to the blog, “My Little Norway.” However, maybe you’ll want to ditch the fishy remedy and stick to more traditional means of surviving winter.

It is recommended that you should exercise, get fresh air, don’t stop activity and consider investing in artificial light, according to “My Little Norway.”

Lauren Ellenbecker is a sophomore studying communication from Anchorage, Alaska. She can be contacted at [email protected].