Signs of Seasonal Affective Disorder? Six Tips on How to Best Cope when the Seasons Change
By Eleanor McGlinchey, PhD
If you live in New York, all your senses are likely tuned in to the changing season – the air feels cooler, the sounds of summer are quiet, everything tastes and smells like pumpkin spice and you see the leaves changing to spectacular colors. But you might also be noting an internal change that comes along with this season that feels something like sadness or dread. If this happens to you every year around this time of year, you might suffer from what’s commonly known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
How is Seasonal Affective Disorder diagnosed?
Seasonal affective disorder* (SAD) is diagnosed when a person has symptoms of depression (e.g., sadness, lack of interest in things usually enjoyed, changes in appetite and sleep, decreased energy) that happen every year, for at least two years coinciding with the changing seasons. It is most common when summer turns to fall or winter (starting anywhere from September to November) but can also be diagnosed when winter transitions back to the spring or summer. Many people might experience something like the blues as the seasons change and the days become shorter and darker. But SAD is more than the blues and should be recognized as a real mood disorder. It is often observable by others and can feel debilitating - affecting your mood, energy level, work, and relationships for months at a time. What differentiates SAD from other forms of depression is that symptoms will consistently remit when the seasons transition again (for most, this occurs in the spring).
How common is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
The prevalence of SAD is highly dependent on geographical region, with estimates in the United States ranging from 5 to 10%. This gives us a clue that sunlight and temperature might have something to do with the cause of this disorder, but if moving closer to the equator is not an option or desire for you, there are other things you can do to push back against SAD.
Six Tips on how to best cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder
Tip #1: Get your daily dose of light.
Sunlight, even on a cloudy day, can help train your circadian rhythm (as I’ve written about before) and boost your mood. Some people with SAD might need additional light exposure as well. Light boxes that offer 10,000 lux of light or more can be very helpful if used daily in the morning. There are even wearable options that look like glasses that are showing some evidence of improved mood. If it’s hard for you to wake up in the morning when it’s dark out, there are alarm clocks that use bright light mimicking the sunrise in addition to sound. These have the double benefit of working as your daily alarm and introducing your body to light first thing in the morning to increase a sense of wakefulness.
Tip #2: Maintain your routines.
Keeping a consistent daily routine is also helpful if you suffer from SAD. Even when you don’t have anywhere you need to be, get dressed for the day, keep any regular habits, and try to schedule at least one thing outside of your house, even if it is only to go to the store or post office for a small task.
Tip #3: Eat at consistent times, except before bedtime.
Eating at consistent times each day is helpful to train your body to keep up a regular 24-hour rhythm. There is also some growing evidence that limiting all caloric intake to a 10 or 12 hour daytime window can also regulate your circadian rhythm and boost your mood. You may have heard of this as a type of nutritional routine referred to as intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating. There are ongoing studies attempting to find a sweet spot for this type of eating but it is also generally a good idea to stop eating or drinking anything other than water at least 3 hours before bedtime and waiting to consume anything other than water for at least an hour after you wake up.
Tip #4: Wake up at the same time every day.
Just like consistent meal times will help your body maintain a regular circadian rhythm, sleeping at the same times will also help. In fact, one of the best things you can do to help train your circadian rhythm is to wake up at the same time everyday, regardless of when you went to bed or how much sleep you got overnight. This can be quite difficult to maintain while sunrise times change, but do your best rather than letting the amount of daylight dictate your wake times. If you find yourself becoming frustrated and confused on how to get your sleep on track during the fall or winter, it might be worth reaching out to a sleep psychologist to help your body recalibrate through tailored strategies.
Tip #5: Let yourself hibernate.
Go easy on yourself. It is important to remember that your body might be sending you a cue that you need to slow down a bit and spend some more time doing restful things. You should not feel bad about not wanting or being able to keep the same pace that you did during the summer. It is natural that for many of us, our bodies respond to changes in light and environmental cues, and the fall and winter can be a great time to do less, exercise self-compassion, or co-hibernate with friends.
Tip #6: Consider short-term therapy.
If you’re struggling to figure out the balance between doing too much or not doing enough, or you’re not sure if you’re struggling with SAD, it is worth getting clarity from a mental health professional. As mentioned before, SAD is classified as a mood disorder and isn’t “something everyone goes through” during the fall and winter. Short-term therapy can provide extra, consistent emotional support, coping skills, and help you maintain perspective during the darker days of the year. You can also consider meeting with a psychiatrist with the support of your therapist for the option of short-term medication, especially if psychotropic medications have been effective for you in the past. This is a strategy that is most effective when started prior to the seasons changing, so it’s important to be proactive and start having conversations if you suspect that you struggle with SAD. In summary, SAD isn’t something that you have to muscle through alone until the seasons change.
How does Daylight Savings Time effect Seasonal Affective Disorder?
A quick note on how the time change or “fall back” plays into this seasonal change. I’ve written about coping with Daylight Savings before and there has (once again) been some debate about putting the United States permanently on daylight savings time. As much as I love the long daylight hours on summer nights, permanent daylight savings time has the potential to make seasonal affective disorder more prevalent and affect people more severely. Daylight in the morning is more important for regulating our circadian rhythms and mood than daylight in the evening. Permanent standard time (meaning the hours the U.S. currently holds from November to March) would be much better aligned with our year-round circadian rhythms.
* SAD has been reclassified as Major Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Onset in the DSM-5
About the Author: Dr. McGlinchey is a sleep psychologist with expertise in how to help people adjust to seasonal affective disorder and many other types of life transitions. She is currently mourning the earlier sunsets while also enjoying all things autumn.