While the days become shorter and the dark lasts longer as we venture into winter, many find themselves feeling a little “off” as they begin to battle the winter blues. According to Kids Health, teens begin to gain in levels of melatonin and weaken in levels of serotonin during these times. These are key effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or better known as seasonal depression. 

As the cold begins to creep up on us and the hours of night stretch longer, we begin noticing differences in behavior. With teens especially, studies have noticed that the hours of dark/light have begun to show effects on circadian rhythm and have immense changes on sleep, alertness and overall mood and wellbeing. 

According to Harvard Health, signs of SAD and other forms of depression include:

Low energy

Lack of enjoyment

Changes in eating

Negative thinking

Trouble concentrating

SAD can be treated with antidepressants and light therapy; however, focusing on maintaining wellbeing with proper sleep can immensely improve the symptoms of seasonal depression. While many typically see improvements as the months progress and the days are longer and warmer, working to fend off the winter effects early on is the goal. Circadian rhythm is known as the natural process of internally regulating one’s sleep cycle. This is greatly influenced by the amount of daylight through the hours of the day. 

“The circadian clock is most sensitive to light from about 2 hours before usual bedtime and through the night, until about 1 hour after usual wake-up in the morning,” said the CDC.

Working to maintain a healthy sleep schedule during the winter months along with practicing overall healthy habits like practicing mindfulness, exercise and eating nutritious foods can help combat the winter blues. So, as we head into the winter of 2021, try to make a checklist of these three things to mitigate your winter blues:

1. Turn off your electronics every night at the same time. As our circadian rhythm is affected by the lack of light during the winter months, it is also affected by the light of our blue light electronics including your phone, TV and laptop. 
2. Try to stick to a consistent sleep schedule. It is tempting to scroll TikTok through the late night hours or wanting to stay in bed halfway through Saturday; however, maintaining a regular and attainable sleep schedule can help regulate body alertness. 
3. Try out Vitamin D supplements. As we naturally soak up Vitamin D through the sunny months of summer, we tend to lack this important substance in the dark winter months. Many diseases including depression are correlated to low Vitamin D levels.