Winter Blues: Why People Are More Depressed In Winter, And How To Fight It!
As summer passes and we approach the cold season, many of us experience not only a drop in temperatures but also a drop in mood and liveliness.
The days get shorter and darker, the trees lose their leaves, and it gets uncomfortable outside - there's really not much to look forward to apart from holiday season and being cuddled up under a blanket.
This phenomenon is called "Winter Blues" - a seasonal, emotional down phase closely linked to depression.
So what exactly causes Winter Blues, and what can you do against it?
Winter Blues and SAD
While quite a lot of people experience the Winter Blues during the colder months, it's only the precursor to a more serious illness: Seasonal Affective Disorder, with the very fitting acronym SAD.
Up to 10% of the population suffers from SAD each year, while up to 20% are affected by a more "mild" winter blues.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms with Winter Blues and SAD are almost identical, although SAD is a much stronger version of the illness, like explained above.
Both are linked to depression though, so the symptoms are very similar to those of depression as well.
People who suffer from Winter Blues / SAD experience ...
- Low Energy
- Feeling of fatigue / lethargy
- Lack of interest in activities (even the ones that they usually love to do)
- Hopelessness
- Apathy
- Difficulty to concentrate
- Boredom
- Less social / less interest in social interactions with other people
What differs from depression though is the craving of sweets / comfort foods and related weight gain when people suffer from Winter Blues, as opposed to lack in appetite that comes with a 'regular' depression.
What causes Winter Blues & SAD?
There are several different aspects that contribute to the feeling of Winter Blues.
And most of them have to do with the daylight.
As the seasons change, the amount of daylight we receive drops significantly, as the days get shorter.
Light is a very important aspect to our health, which we often underestimate.
Our circadian rhythm, basically our sleep-wake cycles, is being controlled by an area in our brain called Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN). The SCN receives signals from our eyes, indicating whether it's light or dark outside, or whether we're in a light or dark surrounding.
This data then gets passed on to the pineal gland, a small gland inside our brain that regulates the production of the hormone Melatonin.
Melatonin is also called the "sleepy hormone": this is what makes us feel tired (especially when it's dark outside!)
So this explains the general feelings of lethargy and fatigue, as well as low energy levels.
Another factor that influences our mood is Serotonin, the so-called "happy hormone", which is quite the opposite of Melatonin.
Serotonin makes us feel alert and happy, and improves our memory and learning abilities, sex drive, appetite, and more.
Our Serotonin levels are generally lower in the winter time (due to a lack of Vitamin D, which is also happening because of a lack of daylight), which ties in with the feelings of depression.
What are the treatments?
The most common treatment against Winter Blues / SAD is light therapy.
There are special daylight-imitating lamps for this purpose, and the patients sits in front of the light for about 30 minutes in the morning.
It's been showed that light therapy works just as well as anti-depressants.
Of course, simply getting enough sunlight would have the same effects, but that's often not so easy to achieve during the winter.
Other treatments include of corse psychotherapy or anti-depressant pills.
Selective Serotonin uptake inhibitors, a common medical treatment against depression, also works well against Winter Blues and SAD: this medicine increases Serotonin levels in the brain by enabling the synapses to hold on to it better.
Generally, there is no wonder treatment against Winter Blues and SAD, and the results vary greatly from person to person.
A combination of several of these remedies is probably the most effective way to get rid of that Winter blues.
If you're being affected by the Winter Blues, stay strong and remind yourself: Warmer (and lighter) days are coming ahead! The winter and the cold will pass, so stay positive!
Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Sources: 1, 2, 3
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I've got a daylight lamp like that, from Phillips. It's 1,000-lumen strong. I just need to get better in actually using it, haha! :D
Yes you should really try it out and see if it makes any difference for you! Maybe just put it at the kitchen table and have it on while eating breakfast, that would be the easiest way to use it in the morning.
Yep, that's the plan!
I know am affected. Am up all night and sleeping in the day like a vampire 😀
That can definitely be affected by the seasons, try shifting your rhythm slowly 1 hour a day by getting up earlier, and really try to get some light in the mornings to make it easier for you to get up
Am always up early. Then I crash in the day. Yea I need to experiment until my body gets back in proper circadian rhythm.
Great post! Lack of sunlight in the winter can be rough. I actually had just written about my own experiences using a wake-up light in the winter. Subscribed.