Annelise Capossela for NPR
This story was originally published on October 23, 2020 and has been updated.
When the psychiatrist Dr. Norman Rosenthal Having left South Africa for the United States in 1976, he felt less energetic during the harsh winters.
He noticed that other people felt the same way. “Just like autumn leaves, they became depressed in time,” says Rosenthal. “In spring, the situation is reversed.” He studied the problem, published the first research on the syndrome and coined the term seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, in 1984.
About 1 in 20 people in the United States suffer from SAD, and it typically lasts about 40% of the year. according to the American Psychiatric Association. If you suffer from it, you might feel lazy or depressed, sleep too long, eat too much, gain weight, and be uninterested in doing things you used to enjoy. More and more people are suffering from the winter blues, a milder version of SAD, where you feel like a sadder, sleepier, or slower version of yourself.
As winter approaches, here’s why you might feel this way – what you can do to feel better.
1. Recognize the symptoms
For many people, SAD makes things difficult each fall when it gets darker earlier, but improves during the bright days of spring and summer, Rosenthal says.
One of Rosenthal’s patients described himself as feeling like a bear in winter and wanting to hibernate. “So if you identify with a hibernating bear, you could very well have SAD,” he says.
Women are about to four times more vulnerable than menand the condition is more common in the northern hemisphere.
While some people don’t feel any different at all when the seasons change, Rosenthal says others are very handicapped by it. People diagnosed with SAD, he says, are “people who would go to a doctor because the problem was already bad enough.”
Rosenthal says it can be difficult to recognize a pattern because the symptoms overwhelm you. “For example, it can be a little bad in September and a little worse in October and a little worse in November. It’s a little like the story of the frog in the bowl that keeps getting warmer, and it doesn’t realize it’s going to die because it happens gradually.”
But, he says, it’s critical to recognize your symptoms and take them seriously, because SAD can be debilitating or worse.
2. Let there be light
A fundamental element of the physiology of this disease is that some people just need more light. An often recommended solution to this problem is a SAD lamp. Rosenthal says these lamps generate much more intense light than indoor lighting: about 10,000 lux, a measure of light.
This light is absorbed by the eyes, not the skin – but, he says, don’t look at it. Rosenthal says he places it so that the light shines on it, as if it were a sunny day. “This is how we evolved to see light – with the sky above and the sun shining, so that it hits the lower part of our retina.” Morning is often the best time, and the earlier the better.
He says if you use the lamp for about 20 to 30 minutes a day, you should feel a difference within two weeks. If you don’t, return it.
Studies suggest that the value of preventative light therapy is inconclusive and that it is truly the patient’s preference whether or not to use it. But as a treatment for those who suffer from seasonal affective disorder, SAD lamps have made a big difference.
Remember, even if you use a SAD lamp, make sure you try to get as much natural light as possible. Go outside, even if you don’t feel like it, because even when the weather seems overcast, you get sunlight. Remember, small things can make a difference, so cut back any overgrowth around your windows and clean the glass.
3. Be thoughtful and consistent about what (and when) you eat
Rosenthal says people with SAD have a huge appetite for carbohydrates. “They crave sweets and starchy foods. And it goes without saying that it puts on weight, and they can’t always take it off in the summer, so every year they gain a little bit more, a little bit more, and that’s a real problem.”
Emily Manoogian, a clinical researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, says people with SAD typically have a delay in their circadian rhythm, “those 24-hour rhythms that we have in our bodies.” Just like light, food is an important signal to your body. “If you eat, your body thinks it should be awake.”
Make sure you stop eating three hours before bed, so your body knows how to rest. By simply controlling the time you eat and keeping it within a consistent 10-12 hour window, you’re giving your body a strong signal to tell it what time of day it is, regardless of anything else that’s going on.
4. Take time to move
Exercise is another environmental cue that helps tell your internal clock what time it is. It’s a signal that says “wake up,” Manoogian says.
“Exercising during the active part of your day can help your body know what time it is and stimulate the brain to wake up at the right time of day, then allow your body to rest in the evening,” she says.
Rosenthal says that when it’s cold and dark and you don’t feel energetic and aren’t active, it can turn into a vicious cycle. “You don’t want to get up in the morning, so you pull the covers over your head, so you have less light. So you feel more depressed, so you want to get up even less. Whereas if you force yourself to get up, and then force yourself to do all these things, then you’ll feel a lot better,” he says. So try to persevere and do some physical activity.
5. Reduce stress
Rosenthal says seasonal affective disorder has three main causes: a genetic component, a lack of light component and stress.
Stress can come from a lack of motivation. “When you have things to do and you’re feeling depressed and you’re not thinking straight and you’re not feeling effective, that’s when you can really feel the most depressed,” says Rosenthal.
So try to reduce stress as much as possible. You may want to decorate a room with bright colors and photographs that make you smile. You may want to see a therapist and talk to them about how you are feeling. You might want to try meditation. Rosenthal says the effects of meditation practice and SAD haven’t been fully studied yet, but he thinks it can help. Be proactive and make enjoyable plans.
Rosenthal says many people have great success following these simple tips. But if you’re not feeling better or if SAD is interfering with your personal relationships or work, he says, medication can also be very effective.
And keep in mind that none of this will make the disorder go away, but as Rosenthal says, “It’s not a cure, but…sometimes SAD dies from neglect.”
This story was edited by Malaka Gharib and Sylvie Douglis. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We would love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823 or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
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