The winter blues are very common, with many of us experiencing a mood shift during the colder, darker days of winter. You may find yourself feeling more lethargic and down overall. Though this can be relatively benign for most people; for others it can be a real trigger for a more significant type of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It is thought that SAD mainly involves the fact that there is less sunlight. Sunlight has an important role in regulating a part of the brain (the hypothalamus, to be specific) to function properly. Sunlight also affects our hormones, however some people are more sensitive to this than others. Lack of sunlight during winter time can mean our bodies produce less melatonin (the sleep hormone). Less sun can also lead to decreased serotonin and dopamine (our mood, appetite and sleep hormone).
If you start to experience some of these symptoms during winter some simple things you can do to help generate some more of the feel good hormones include:
Image:https://www.parkinsonsnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Four-happy-hormones-1-e1603855201997.jpg
Remember usually the winter blues are only mild and will pass especially if you try and incorporate some of this advice into your day. Though if you feel at any time it is becoming all consuming, there are many help services out there, some are listed below, or speak to your local health professional.
https://headspace.org.au/emergency-assistance/
https://www.lifeline.org.au/
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/about-us/contact-us
References:
https://www.bbrfoundation.org/blog/winter-blues-or-seasonal-affective-disorder
https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2013/01/beat-winter-blues
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/seasonal-affective-disorder
