The clocks were set back an hour on Nov. 2, calling for a 5 p.m. sunset every evening until March of next year.
With less daylight each day, some students may experience mental health struggles such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is a type of depression associated with late fall and winter when there’s less sunlight.
Organizations on campus such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) help students tackle mental health and raise awareness through their programming.
Sharon Simon, the president of NAMI at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), said seasonal affective disorder comes from a decrease in serotonin, which is what we receive from the sun.
“We get more melatonin, which helps us sleep because there’s more darkness,” Simon said. “That decrease in serotonin can lead to depression.”
Some common symptoms of SAD include loss of energy, increased sleep, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and irritability, Simon said.
Sophomore Oscar Walraven said his mood changes during the colder part of the year.
“It’s actually real. When the sun goes away, I get sad and the cold makes everything uncomfortable,” Walraven said.
Women are also four times more likely to be affected by SAD than men, Simon explained, and the condition mostly affects people between the ages of 18 and 30.
“If you already happen to have a history of mental illness, either within your family or you yourself are already experiencing depression, anxiety or potentially bipolar disorder, you can see that worsen during this time,” Simon said.
Senior Andrea Coleman said she has less motivation for school during the winter months when the sun goes down sooner.
“It’s definitely a big change,” Coleman said. “It makes me more tired than I typically am and I also have a tendency to want to sleep more.”
Junior Abby Stearns also stated her lack of motivation later in the semester comes from the time change.
“I don’t know why, but I’m just less motivated and it makes it harder to focus on school,” she said.
Simon said a recommended treatment for SAD, in addition to psychotherapy or antidepressant medication, is light therapy for 30 minutes a day. This helps people receive benefits from sunlight even when the days are shorter.
Coleman works at BGSU’s Office of Health and Wellness, and said the Recreation Center has a “wellness room” where students can use a sunlight lamp, along with massage chairs, yoga mats and more.
“It’s a cute and chill space where people can come, hang out and unwind,” she said.
With major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, Simon said to look out for the “holiday blues.”
“That can come from distress, unrealistic expectations or memories from past holidays,” she said. “It does not have the lengthy onset and duration of an actual mental health disorder, but if you are not on top of it, if you don’t find ways to treat it, it can become a mental health disorder or time.”
Students can also find local mental health resources through the Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board (WCADAMHS), which funds and monitors public mental health, addiction treatment and recovery services given to residents of Wood County, according to their website.
Kaylee Smith, manager of Marketing and Communications for the WCADAMHS board, said some services funded through the organzation, such as the Wood County Suicide Prevention Coalition, have a large student involvement which helps to spread mental health awareness.
“It’s funneled into different age demographics, so there is a subgroup for young adults that specifically work with BGSU through Wellness Connection,” she said.
NAMI at BGSU holds bi-weekly meetings on Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union Room 309.
Meetings include self-care nights, discussions about different mental health disorders and treatments and students are also given resources on and off campus. Simon said there is no fee to join and all students have to do is attend at least one meeting.