Get the facts on what you can do to ease the wintry weather sorrows.
While thinking of a topic for my monthly article, I was lowkey stumped. School and naps have been taking up so much of my time recently that my creativity feels like it’s going through a block. Common factor in all of these things? The hideous season of cold sadness: winter. Now, although many of us may not experience clinical seasonal depression, I feel like many people can relate to having an overall lower mood in the winter (and do in fact experience it – as explained later in this article), and many of these people are likely to be coping poorly. While being curious as to how to get my creative juices flowing again, I realized I could combine my project and curiosity into one to be able to obtain the answers to my question, while also sharing such advice with you! In this article, we will be exploring evidence-based approaches to easing the winter blues as well as how to thrive in this icy climate.
Before we begin, let us define the term winter blues, as well as provide a disclaimer about the type of research I’ll be using. According to Dr. Matthew Rudorfer, a mental health expert at the U.S National Institutes of Health, “[w]inter blues is a general term, not a medical diagnosis. It’s fairly common, and it’s more mild than serious.” However, due to its somewhat similar prognosis, the winter blues are oftenly researched alongside seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which is a well-defined clinical diagnosis related to the shortening of daylight hours. Due to this, the research I will be using will be directed towards winter blues OR I will be using my judgement to extract pieces of information applicable to the general population using SAD research. However, it’s important to remember that they are two separate things: according to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 15% of Canadians experience the winter blues and 2-3% of Canadians experience SAD. Let’s get into it!
Vitamin d
According to a 2015 systematic review and meta-analysis, it is concluded that low levels of vitamin D are associated with depression. Although supplementation seems to be controversial, research suggests taking 100’000 IU daily of vitamin D may improve symptoms of low mood. However, listen to my two cents. According to Statistics Canada in a survey from 2016 to 2019, among adults, young adults (ages 20-39) were most likely at a whopping 13% to have below-standard vitamin D levels. Another statistic revealed that the likelihood of vitamin D levels not reaching national standards in Canada literally doubles during the winter due to less sun and less time outside. To conclude, vitamin D supplementation, or even just eating more foods rich in vitamin D (ex. eggs, fish, milk, fortified plant-based beverages) is a great way to take care of your health, especially during the cloudy weather.
light therapy
What even is light therapy? Requiring a light box that emits 10’000 lux, it involves sitting in front of the light box for ~30 minutes in the morning, preferably as soon as possible upon waking up. Due to the absence of light box regulation, it’s important to do your research. Julie Corliss from Health Harvard Publishing recommends a nonprofit organization called the Center for Environmental Therapeutics, which provides research-based guideline criteria for buying a light box. According to Dr. Richard S. Schwartz, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, “[f]or both seasonal and nonseasonal depression, the effectiveness of light therapy is approximately the same [40-60% range] as antidepressant medications, or popular forms of psychotherapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy.”
Although light therapy is a treatment for clinical depression, such research provides many implications for tackling the winter blues. Dr. Schwartz reassures us of such implications: “[s]trolling outdoors soon after sunrise, even on a cloudy day, provides almost the same amount of light exposure as a light box.” He clarifies that whether that is 30 minutes of walking (with an added exercise-induced mood boost), or 15 minutes of standing or sitting outside, even if it’s not after sunrise, the outdoors can make a difference in one’s mood
Sleep
Shortened daylight hours result in the disruption of our internal clock or circadian rhythm, which help regulate sleep patterns, eating patterns and hormone release. For example, in patients with winter-pattern SAD, melatonin–a hormone naturally released by our body–is seen in excessive amounts, which is hypothesized to lead to increased sleepiness. Although our circadian rhythms are naturally disrupted during the winter, in a small percentage of Canadians, it can lead to SAD. Nonetheless, its disruption in winter has an implication for tackling our winter blues, with the main goal of having a consistent sleep schedule. Ahh! Scary for us students, I know–and you know what, it’s sometimes just not realistic in the world of parties and procrastination. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, getting at least seven hours of sleep every night, using your bed only for sleep and sex, making your bedroom quiet and comfortable, as well as avoiding heavy meals, caffeine & fluid-overload close to bed-time all help optimize sleep and your natural circadian rhythm.
To conclude, this time of year hits people differently–some as light as a snowball with some as hard as a truck (me!). Nonetheless, it’s important to take care of ourselves in our own journeys with the goal of being individually satisfied. Listen to your body and take the breaks you deserve. And honestly, maybe do some art! Even in writing this article, I’ve found myself to be a bit less brain foggy than usual and feeling a bit more like me!
Thank you so much for your time in reading my article; I thoroughly hope you learned something, and implement one of these self-care habits into your routine.✨