Winter Depression: Why It Is Happening, And How To Beat It

December 12, 2017

If you think that winter depression is just a myth, this is where you are wrong. After a sunny and warm summer we realize, we get the blues more and more, and when winter comes we find ourselves exhausted and melancholic. Some of people get just sad, and some suffer from real symptoms of depression.

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Why this is happening – the scientists run a survey and found out there is seasonal affective disorder, which we call winter depression. It occurs to people who are not under any other stressful conditions or any health problems. The key to this condition is the amount of light we are receiving. When our eye perceives the light, it serves as a signal to wake up and causes some hormonal change – the amount of melatonin (the hormone of sleep) reduces and our body feels active and energized.

During winter time, when the days are shorter and the amount of light is so limited, our bodies are not completely awake. The most important time of the day when people need to receive sunlight is morning. So waking up in winter darkness is causing depressive state of mood.

Our body gets confused while meeting this discrepancy. We still have our life routine going on, and we may be over-scheduled, since the lack of daylight sets us to another condition – sleep mode.

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So what are the ways out? There are few things you may do to reduce your winter depression.

- Get some fresh air. Go outside more, go for a walk and get some oxygen, it will refresh you.

- Workout. More physical activity will provoke hormonal change - release of endorphin. It interacts with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain, triggering the happy feeling.

- Make sure you are fueling your body with all necessary nutrients, so pay attention to what you eat. Changing diet may also be a cause of depressive state, as during summer we usually consume more fruit and veggies, long and cold winter evenings may be spent with unhealthy snacks! Vitamins are paramount for our wellness, especially in wintertime.

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Do not let the seasonal disorder rule you. You may want to sleep all the time, or sit in front of the screen cuddling in your blanket – this is not what will drag you out of the state. You may shift your sleep time, going to bed earlier and waking up earlier as well, you can still be active and accomplish all your plans, just find the things which make you really happy.

This post is solely for informational purposes. It is not intended to provide medical advice. Mambee doesn’t take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this post. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the readers should consult with their physician or other health care provider.