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Many of us are experiencing the dog days of summer, but before too long, flat gray clouds will cover the sky more days in many parts of the world, as autumn rolls in and the days grow shorter towards winter. During the depth of winter (yes it will happen, again!) I want to stay in bed, wait for tomorrow, and hope for sun. Being a Texas girl born and raised, I grew up with more sunny days than cloudy ones, and for decades now, I know my energy level and productivity are somehow linked to sunshine.
On gray winter days, I have little energy, care about nothing, and generally feel and act like Grumpy Cat until evening. Even though I know dark chocolate won’t shift my mood, I sometimes give that delicious treat a good try! If I am somewhere and experience a run of gray days, pretty soon I have sunk so low I must be scraped off the floor.
This got me thinking about winter depression, SAD—Seasonal Affective Disorder—and while I don’t think I suffer a full-on case of SAD, I know friends who do. The sooner we start to add a few proven principles to the day, the more likely we are to avoid suffering from SAD once Old Man Winter settles in. I will be adding these to the top of my to-do list!
Dr. Norman Rosenthal, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Georgetown Medical School, and author of Winter Blues, Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder, who first identified and coined the term in 1984, found we women suffer from seasonal depression or SAD four times as often as men do in our earlier years (ages 20-30), but the numbers become closer to equal as both sexes get older.
Your science lesson for today: The research also tells us that the culprit is low serotonin—the chemical in our bodies responsible for our moods, appetite, sleep regulation, and libido. In folks with SAD, serotonin can’t function efficiently because the body produces a serotonin-blocking chemical called SERT.
At this point, scientists aren’t exactly sure why this occurs in some people, and not in others. Stay tuned for more developments in this area. For those of us who have clear-cut cases of SAD every winter, there are some well-researched steps we can take to markedly reduce the symptoms until the sunshine and warmer temperatures return.
Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder
- Low energy
- Sleeping too much or not wanting to get out of bed
- Overeating
- Craving refined carbs and sugar
- Weight gain (as a result of the above)
- Just feeling “blah” all the time
- Withdrawing from friends and family (feeling like hibernating)
Here are some of the best ways to counter the feelings of SAD and make winter your favorite season. Well, maybe… ????
Counter the Feelings of Seasonal Affective Disorder
Throw open those curtains.
As soon as you wake up, get up (as hard as that may be), and raise those shades as high as they will go to let in as much morning light as possible.
Put on those gym shoes.
A meta-review (a compilation and review of many studies) from the American College of Sports Medicine Journal found for some of us experiencing SAD, vigorous exercise, like HIIT—High Intensity Interval Training, might be as successful as therapy or anti-depressants at lowering our SERT levels, which help to elevate our serotonin levels, and alleviate the depression.
Keep up your Interests.
You may not feel like getting on yet another Zoom coffee hour, or social distance walking outside with your neighbor, but pushing yourself to be with friends, virtually or in person, is a great way to lift your spirits, to say nothing of strengthening your social connections—a strong choice toward staying vibrant as we get older. The same goes for indulging in your favorite hobby; that ship isn’t going to sail itself into that bottle!
Get a Light Box
This is probably the most often-cited and well-known tool available to fight SAD. Studies show light boxes are the magic bullet for up to fifty percent of SAD sufferers. If used correctly, the boxes cause mood shifts to occur in only a few days, giving blessed relief almost as fast a speeding bullet. Discuss with your doctor, and experiment with different types of light boxes, and see what might work for you.
Eliminate Sugar
My long-time readers will be nodding, (I hope), as I add another reason to drop sugar from your diet. In addition to the negative effects sugar has on our brains and bodies, people who consume the most sugar are more prone to depression. Scientists now think sugar lowers our bodies’ ability to cope with stress. Craving sweets and starchy foods in the winter is also an indicator and symptom of SAD.
Go Outside and Play
Your mother was right. Grab your earmuffs and your muffler and take a brisk walk outside in the morning after sunrise. Or, take up a wintertime-specific sport, like snowshoeing, outdoor ice-skating or curling (at a social distance 😉 Some of the lead researchers in this field, Dr. Kelly Rohan (no relation) at the University of Vermont, and Dr. Ani Kalayjian at Columbia University, both endorse this plan, and Dr. Rohan notes getting that morning light into our retinas is especially beneficial; plus you get exercise as well. Home run in my book.
Hit the Mat
Dr. Kalayjian also recommends taking up yoga for relaxation and relief from depression. More and more studies are pointing to yoga as a good practice for stress reduction and anxiety. That’s one more reason to add a yoga class or two into your weekly regime.
The research points to starting early to fortifying our serotonin levels so we have reserves at the ready for when the days grow short and dark. This year, especially, I plan to get on the program long before I put out my pumpkins and pick out George’s Halloween costume.
Until next time…Be Vibrant!
