As the days get shorter and darker, many might feel more tired and less motivated. Here are some expert tips that can help you beat the winter blues.
With winter right around the corner, Canadians adjusted their clocks one hour back last weekend, getting ready to face shorter days, with early sunsets and darker skies.
For many, one less hour of sunlight comes no short of consequences, as the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) reported that around 60 per cent of Canadians suffered from the famous “winter blues” as of 2023, feeling symptoms of fatigue, depression, irritability, stress, and more.
Toronto Psychologist Clinic’s Clinical, Counselling and Health Psychologist, Dr. Saunia Ahmad, tells Now Toronto that the common symptoms appear as our bodies try to adjust to the time change, creating mood alterations.
“When we have decreased hours in the day, there’s a decrease in production of serotonin, which is something that helps regulate mood in our brains, and also an increase in melatonin, a neurotransmitter that increases at night to help us sleep,” she said.
“So, when it gets darker faster, we tend to have lower energy, feel more tired, more lethargic, and when people register that there’s a change in their mood, it does send signals to the brain that perhaps they are not doing so well, and they report feeling depressed, in low mood.”
Although most people experience the winter blues when the cold season first begins, Ahmad says the common symptoms are also associated with a more serious condition: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
According to the Canadian Psychological Association, 15 per cent report they’ve had at least mild symptoms of SAD throughout their lives. Symptoms of this condition are similar to those of depression—intense fatigue, changes in appetite, loss of interest in activities, hobbies and loved ones, irritability, hopelessness, etc.—but usually appear only during a certain time of the year, usually fall and winter.
While these symptoms might appear similar to winter blues, Ahmad says SAD symptoms are more permanent, and it is important for people to watch out for this difference in order to seek appropriate help.
“It’s a very clear change in their mental well-being, and a very sort of persistent and chronic one as well,” she said. “If we assume, for instance, that it’s winter blues and it’ll just go away when it’s actually seasonal affective disorder, then people won’t seek treatment. So, that’s what’s really key and why it’s important to know when to seek the right help.”
HOW TO DEAL WITH WINTER BLUES, SAD
Ahmad says that tools to cope with SAD and winter blues are often similar and may vary from person to person. However, in cases of SAD, it is important to look for specialized professional help.
“[With] Seasonal affective disorder… it is important to get an assessment and then to get treatment with a professional who’s trained in working with seasonal affective disorder,” she said.
“Also, when people assume that it’s seasonal affective disorder versus winter blues, again, it leads to people having misinformation and may contribute to feeling a lot more unmotivated or hopeless about change.”
Meanwhile, there are some tools that can help manage symptoms.
Firstly, the psychologist says winter blues symptoms are most common closer to when the clock first changes, and often lessen over time. For that reason, she says it is important to give our bodies time to adjust to the new clocks, which might take a few weeks.
In the meantime, Ahmad says it is equally important to create a healthy routine, to ensure that you are getting enough rest, but also keeping your day flowing.
With darker days, the psychologist says it is also helpful to surround yourself with more light, throughout the day, including natural and artificial lights, signalling to your body that it is time to be active.
“Light does impact our neurotransmitters in our brain, so it’s definitely worth trying and looking at making sure that you have a certain amount of light, 10,000 lux is apparently a good amount at minimum to have,” she explained.
“Say someone gets up very early, before sunrise, or just shortly around that time, and there’s not enough daylight to actually have light at home. [They can] increase the light for their body so it helps them be more alert.”
Although it might be difficult to get out of bed early and face the cold to go to the gym, stroll around or go running, Ahmad says that exercising, especially in the morning, is also key to waking up our bodies and improving our moods.
Contrary to the summertime, when the city seems to light up with social events and gatherings, things can slow down in the winter, but Ahmad says it is also important to go outside, make plans with your loved ones, and maintain a healthy diet.
“When people have low moods and they don’t feel so good, they’re decreasing contact with friends and family, and they may also be decreasing their appetite…So, it’s important for them to make an intentional effort to socialize, keep up social contacts, and also to eat well.”
Although having less exposure to the sun might reduce our production of vitamin D, the psychologist warns that taking supplementary vitamins without a prescription might bring adverse effects, and advises them to look for testing and consultation with a physician if they feel the need to do so.