It's come that people start to experience physical and psychological changes along with the changes that come with the Autumn season. As the light-time gets shorter it seems everyone gets hit with a bit more feelings of hunger, everyone seems more tired no matter how much sleep they've gotten. On top of that, if the person sitting beside you in class gets sick, no matter how much hand sanitizer you use, you still get sick. This time of year seems to hit everyone in some way, but we know why and there are ways to try and make the side effects less prominent.
Why do people seem down during the Fall and Winter?
1) Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): This is described as a seasonal depression which begins and ends at around the same time of year. For most people, this is during the Autumn and Winter months, but some people do experience these changes in Spring and Summer. SAD can cause people to feel tired and depressed for most of the day and nearly every day, appetite changes (which usually involve craving higher carbohydrate foods), easily agitated, oversleeping, and much more! SAD happens for a few reasons:
1. Your biological clock has been disrupted: usually hitting after daylight-savings starts or ends, these changes in natural daylight can disrupt your biological clock and lead to feelings of depression.
2. Serotonin (the happy hormone) levels change: as many people know, serotonin is the feel good chemical that effects happiness and wellness. During seasonal changes and the changes in daytime sunlight, this can effect changes in cognition, memory, reward and learning, and overall happiness.
3. Living in Canada: more northern and southern countries are hit more by SAD then people who live closer to the equator. Because of the Earth's change in tilt, there is a more pronounced change in daytime sunlight compared to those who live closer to the equator.
2) Having To React To Daylight Savings: We all probably have it marked on our calendars, that day we get an extra hour of sleep. However, that extra hour of sleep and "falling back" just means more darkness and less sunlight. You may also need to change your schedules a little to help keep you on track for your day, adjusting to how the people you live with change with the fall back, and so much more. This can cause people to become overwhelmed because it feels like you have less time in the day due to the less daylight you have everyday.
3) Inadequate Access To Light: We all know that Autumn and Winter mean less daytime light. This, in combination with the colder weather, increases the risk of depression. As talked about already, it can alter your circadian rhythm as well. Lower levels of light can also change hunger cues and increase risk of weight gain, which can also make people feel down as well. Believe it or not, it's not the availability of food that seems to cause weight gain in the darker months.
4) Holidays, Family, and Pressures of Going All Out: It always throws people off, the four plus holidays that we have between now and December 31st. For some people, this can be an uplifting part of the year but for others it can cause great stress. The stresses of having to visit family you don't get along with, the stress of feeding and entertaining 20+ people, half of them you may have never met before. For some, the holidays can bring up sad feelings because maybe it is the first holiday without a loved one who passed away earlier in the year. Whatever the reason, it can cause a cascade of self-harming emotions that you may not know how to handle. Similarly, with these holidays, you may feel pressure from friends and family to go to every event you are invited to, even though you are exhausted and would rather stay home and go to bed early for work or classes the next day. You may be feelings pressured to purchase decorations, purchase gifts, and that can even be the most stressful for some people.
5) The Brain Also Changes With the Seasons: Believe it or not, brain activity and focuses change with the seasons. Studies in Belgium have shown the following:
- Participants had less brain activity for attention tasks in the winter compared to the summer. This shows that the brain is not as efficient during the winter compared to the summer.
- Participants had more brain activity for memory tasks in the autumn and was lowest in the spring.
- Participants had more mood changes in the autumn and winter months as well, which may be related to the changes in brain activity. Some of this brain activity effected the metabolism as well, meaning more chance of weight gain.
- Human gene activation and immunity changes were seen as well.
- The brain perceives colours differently, which can be a big deal for people who work in situations that colour perception is important.
So, what can you do to help beat the 'winter blues'?
1. Make a list of priorities/Try bullet journaling: If one of your priorities is 'me time' don't give into pressures of going out. Stick with things you enjoy doing and try to forget about the stresses of this time of year.
2. Get access to natural light: Whether it is through light therapy or natural light during a nice autumn/winter day, light exposure can make a big difference. Just remember to dress warm!
3. Try to keep a regular schedule: If you have been consistently getting to the gym at 6 am, keep that going when it starts to get cooler out.
4. Come up with your own traditions: Maybe you want to start new ones with your family or friends? And that's okay!
5. Don't ignore signs that it may not be just the 'winter blues': If you are concerned about your changes in mood, your fatigue, or whatever changes you have felt, seek out a professional. There are services here on campus or you can seek out a professional off campus.
Resources:
Penckofer, S., Kouba, J., Byrn, M., & Ferrans, C. E. (2010). Vitamin D and depression: Where is all the sunshine? Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 31(6), 385-393. doi:10.3109/01612840903437657
Seasonal depression. (2016, October 07). Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/sad
Strickland, A. (2017, March 10). Daylight saving time can be bad for your health. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/11/health/daylight-saving-time-health-effects/index.html
Seasonality in human cognitive brain responses
Christelle Meyer, Vincenzo Muto, Mathieu Jaspar, Caroline Kussé, Erik Lambot, Sarah L. Chellappa, Christian Degueldre, Evelyne Balteau, André Luxen, Benita Middleton, Simon N. Archer, Fabienne Collette, Derk-Jan Dijk, Christophe Phillips, Pierre Maquet, Gilles Vandewalle
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Feb 2016, 201518129; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1518129113
Welbourne, L., Morland, A. and Wade, A. (2015). Human colour perception changes between seasons. Current Biology, 25(15), pp.R646-R647.