With the clocks wound back, the sun setting before dinner and more cloudy, rainy days predicted, some people may begin to notice their mood dipping as seasonal depression sets in.
Seasonal depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), tends to occur around the same time each year, most commonly during the fall and winter months, and is more frequent among women than men.
People can experience persistent sadness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep and appetite, and a loss of interest in things they would normally enjoy. For some people, the symptoms can be debilitating.
But seasonal depression is more than a reaction to colder, dark weather: less daylight affects the hypothalamus, disrupting the body’s internal clock and the systems that regulate mood, including melatonin and serotonin. Brain regions involved in processing emotion, like the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, may also play a role.
UCLA neuropsychologist and professor of psychiatry April Thames offers tips for how people can get ahead of the winter blues:
Get outside, especially in the morning
One thing I would really encourage people to do is make an effort to get outside early in the day. Natural light helps regulate our internal biological clock, which is important for both sleep and mood. Even on cloudy days, you're generally getting substantially more light outside than you would sitting indoors.
Having your morning coffee outside or taking a short walk can be a good way to incorporate more daylight into your routine. I think people underestimate how little natural light they actually get during the winter, especially if they're spending most of their day in an office.
Light therapy
For people who experience seasonal depression every year, light therapy is something I would recommend discussing with a healthcare professional. It involves using a specialized light box that provides bright, UV-filtered light, typically around 10,000 lux, for about 20 to 30 minutes in the morning.
There's good research showing that this can be helpful for treating seasonal depression. If someone knows they tend to struggle every winter, I would encourage them to have that conversation before their symptoms become severe rather than waiting until they're already feeling depressed. It's important to use these devices correctly, though, particularly if someone has certain eye conditions, or takes medications that increase light sensitivity.
Make sure to get sleep
Sleep is another area that can become problematic during the winter. People may find themselves sleeping longer, having difficulty getting out of bed, or feeling tired regardless of how much sleep they're getting. What I generally recommend is trying to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, particularly when it comes to waking up in the morning.
Our brains respond well to regular routines, and inconsistent sleep patterns can make fatigue and mood problems worse. I also wouldn't assume that spending more time in bed is necessarily going to make you feel better. Sometimes it just leaves people feeling more sluggish.
Don't rely on motivation to get yourself moving
This is something I emphasize quite a bit when talking to my patients who struggle with depression. People often think they need to feel motivated before they exercise or do something productive, but when you're depressed, that motivation may not come. Sometimes you actually have to engage in the activity first, and the motivation follows.
Exercise can be helpful for improving mood, energy, and sleep, and it doesn't have to be anything extreme. The bigger concern is when people start becoming increasingly sedentary because they're feeling depressed, which can end up making them feel even worse.
Socialization is key
One of the things that concerns me about depression is how easily people can fall into a pattern of withdrawing from others. They don't feel like socializing, so they cancel plans or spend more time at home. The problem is that the less they engage with other people and activities, the fewer opportunities they have to experience pleasure or feel a sense of accomplishment.
In psychology, we use an approach called behavioral activation, which basically involves encouraging people to continue participating in meaningful or enjoyable activities, even when they don't necessarily feel like doing them. I think this is particularly important during the winter, when people may already be spending more time indoors. Making plans with friends, maintaining hobbies, or simply having something to look forward to can help prevent that cycle of withdrawal and inactivity.
Antidepressant medication and psychotherapy
Antidepressants and psychotherapy can be effective for SAD independently but work best when combined. I would encourage people to discuss with their physician if and which type of antidepressant treatment would be most appropriate. For psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approaches combined with behavioral activation, often termed CBT-SAD, have been demonstrated to be effective.
