If in the cold season, when it gets dark early, the leaves fall outside the window, and the rain gives way to snow, you want to curl up and not get out from under the covers until spring, know that you are not alone. But there are ways to deal with this condition.
Are you sad, have you ceased to be interested and pleased with what you liked before, do you eat and sleep either too much or too little? Your condition has a name, SAD, seasonal affective disorder, and it affects between 1% and 9% of the world’s population, depending on where you live.
Such people feel worse in winter and spring, and in summer their condition levels off or is replaced by an upsurge. “This picture makes SAD related to bipolar or major depressive disorder, but in this case, the condition is closely related to the season,” explains psychologist Katherine Rocklain from the University of Pittsburgh.
She claims that women are affected by this disorder 2-4 times more often than men. And while many of us have begun to pay more attention to our mental health in recent years, the symptoms of SAD are often neglected: it seems that it’s just because of the weather, which means it will pass. Rocklain is sure that you need to take your condition seriously.
Why does winter have such an effect on us?
To understand this issue, it is worth remembering the circadian rhythms – our internal “clock” that tells us when to go to bed, get up and eat.
We usually don’t think about their work until we suddenly wake up in the middle of the night or feel completely overwhelmed after a long flight, finding ourselves in a different time zone.
“The circadian system directly affects our cognition, behavior, mood and memory,” explains chronobiologist Emily Manugian. “And there is a clear connection between disturbances in its functioning and the occurrence of various kinds of disorders – bipolar, depressive and others.”
The work schedule does not coincide with the natural mode of functioning of our body
It would seem that for thousands of years a person should have got used to the fact that it gets dark early in winter. But the problem is that with the advent of artificial lighting, our body began to receive mixed signals. “When we have to work, we turn on the light, when we want to rest, we turn it off, and we always do this at different times, for example, on weekdays and weekends. Then there are problems with sleep and the body as a whole suffers.
In late spring, summer and early autumn, we wake up when it is already light outside the window and it is not difficult to get involved in work or study. In winter, it’s dark in the mornings, but no one cancels the need to wake up at the same time as always. The work schedule does not coincide with the natural mode of functioning of the body, and circadian rhythms go astray.
While there is no scientific evidence that daylight saving time causes SAD, the practice is known to have negative health effects, such as an increased risk of heart disease.
Of course, the events of 2020 could not but affect our mental state. Health problems, the stress of losing a job and general uncertainty, a rapidly changing reality, the need to coexist in a confined space with the rest of the family – all this has not gone unnoticed.
Many were locked in their homes without the opportunity to walk down the street even before work. At the same time, Manugian notes that the changes caused by the pandemic were beneficial to someone: for example, “owls”, for whom getting up for work early in the morning was a real torment. Now they have the opportunity to adjust their work schedule more in line with their internal clock.
What can be done?
As with any disorder, treatment depends on the severity of the condition. If SAD seriously affects life, deprives you of joy, if nothing seems to make sense, it is extremely important to contact a specialist as soon as possible: a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Rocklain explains that medications (only prescribed by a specialist), cognitive-behavioral therapy, and the use of sunlight lamps help in such cases. Regarding the use of the latter, it is also necessary to consult a doctor, he will tell you at what time and how much it costs to turn on the lamp – otherwise it may seem that there is no effect.
If you feel like you can handle it on your own, try the following.
Stick to a specific schedule, especially if you work from home
You don’t have to schedule every 10 minutes, but your circadian system needs a schedule, a sequence of activities that repeats itself from day to day. For example, you can try to have breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time, during the day, while it is light, go out for at least a half-hour walk, and call up some of your friends in the evenings.
Include physical activity in your schedule
Absolutely any, it’s better than a complete lack of physical activity, reminds Manugian. If it is possible to perform them on the street – for example, go for a run, it is better to do it in the morning. But you shouldn’t exercise before bed: the load sends the wrong signal to the body – to stay active instead of getting ready for bed.
Control the amount of light you get
In the morning and afternoon it should be as much as possible, in the evening – less. Perhaps, before switching to remote work, you spent an hour getting by car to the office: you drove along the morning streets and got at least some amount of light, but now, to get to work, you just need to get up from bed.
Listen to yourself, the needs of the body and do what is best for him
In this case, it is worth at least moving the table closer to the window, and as a maximum, going out every morning for a walk. But before going to bed, you should give up excessive lighting: get blackout curtains, do not turn on overhead lighting and put gadgets aside.
Sometimes you can just let go
A clear daily routine, walks in the fresh air is very important, but in each case it is worth acting according to the situation.
What will be more useful for your condition – go to bed early or chat with friends on zoom until the night, having received your portion of support and warmth? Stay up to date with all the latest events or turn off notifications on your phone and go to bed? Listen to yourself, the needs of the body and do what is best for him.