CLEVELAND — Anyone who has lived in Northeast Ohio through a winter understands what the dreary days do to us emotionally. Sometimes we go months without a ray of sunshine and yes, it can actually affect your brain.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a real thing.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, SAD is not considered a separate disorder but is a type of depression characterized by its recurrent seasonal pattern, with symptoms lasting about 4 to 5 months per year.
SAD can mimic major depression, and some symptoms differ for winter pattern SAD. The following are some symptoms a person may experience:
- Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
- Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Experiencing changes in appetite or weight
- Having problems with sleep
- Feeling sluggish or agitated
- Having low energy
- Feeling hopeless or worthless
- Having difficulty concentrating
- Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide
For winter-pattern SAD, additional specific symptoms may include:
- Oversleeping (hypersomnia)
- Overeating, particularly with a craving for carbohydrates
- Weight gain
- Social withdrawal (feeling like “hibernating”)
Susan Albers, PsyD, a psychologist with Cleveland Clinic, says if you've noticed your mood starting to change, you're definitely not alone.
“Seasonal affective disorder is caused by the change in light and your circadian rhythms,” she explained. “When there are short, cold, dark days, we experience less sunlight. This interrupts the release of serotonin and melatonin, which impact our sleep and our mood. There is also a drop in vitamin D because we get vitamin D from the sunlight.” Dr. Albers said.
Dr. Albers says the easiest way to fight the effects is to spend as much time outdoors during the day as possible. Take a walk, do yard work, just expose yourself to the light of day. The light can help boost your vitamin D levels which Northeast Ohioans are prone to typically have low levels.
Talk to your primary care physician about getting a vitamin D check. If your levels are severely low, they can give you a prescription supplement. Otherwise, boost with OTC vitamin D supplements or better yet, eat foods rich in vitamin D such as mushrooms and salmon.
Another tip is to get 20 minutes of light therapy a day. You can buy light therapy lamps online or just sit next to a window with the shades open for a few minutes a day.
If symptoms don't improve, consider talking to a therapist.
Another effect of the winter months is known as "cuffing." It usually runs from late fall, through winter and up until the warmer days of spring and early summer. It's the time of year when people feel compelled to start a relationship.
Cuffing season is a social phenomenon that suggests people “handcuff” themselves to a partner out of necessity or desperation.
Dr. Albers says there's a biological reason for this too.
“Dark, cold nights can trigger an intense feeling of loneliness and a drop in serotonin, and there may even be a significant link between cuffing season and seasonal affective disorder.”
Dr. Albers suggests rules to dating during cuffing season:
Start by being honest with yourself and figuring out if you really want a relationship or if you're just lonely. It's OK to be single, but it's also OK to have a companion you can bring to holiday parties, even if it's not a serious relationship.
Make your expectations clear for what you're seeking short and long term.
Talk with your partner to define the relationship because how you frame things can prevent hurt feelings down the road.
Don't make plans too far in advance. It's better to take things a week or month at a time. Making long term plans implies you're planning on sticking around.
If it doesn't work out, that's OK too. But don't ghost the relationship. Communicate your feelings and explain your reason for ending it clearly.
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