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Apr 21, 2022
✨POV✨: You want to sleep, it's been a long day. But everything is hot - you keep flipping the pillow to find the cool side and your legs are sticking out of the blanket. But nothing is working. Aaand it's not just today, it's been like this the entire season. No sleep, long days and repeat. Yikes.
The season is doing you no favors - your mood is off, you feel fuzzy and just wish you could feel better somehow. And generally, getting a good night's sleep can fix this - at least a little bit. But what if I told you that not getting quality sleep is a sign of seasonal depression.
Seasonal Affective Disorder & Sleep❓
Yep, there's a major connection.
Each season is not just about how hot or long the days are. It's also about how hot or long the nights are. Temperatures at night can really affect our quality of sleep (and in turn, our mental health).
Remember those nights when you slept like a baby and woke up feeling completely refreshed? Excited for life, almost? Yeah, what about them led to such blissful sleep?
One big factor in quality sleep is the temperature of the room. And specifically, cool temperatures of 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature signals our body to lower its body temperature by a couple of degrees, also signaling the release of melatonin (our sleep hormone).
When the temperature is colder or warmer than the ambient, our circadian rhythms (our sleep-wake cycle) get disturbed. This disruption, if continues over a long period of time (like an entire season), our mental health goes for a toss because of fatigue, tiredness, and low levels of serotonin (our happy hormone).
⛱️ Summer Depression
When early summer creeps in, our nights become shorter and warmer. This means that our rooms are warm and our bodies are still unaware that it is time to sleep at night. And so, we toss and turn on our beds, not being able to get enough sleep or quality sleep the entire season.
⛄ Winter Depression
When winter arrives, our nights become longer and colder. These lower temperatures signal an excessive release of melatonin, which make us want to sleep for longer than we need to.
It's also during winters that cravings for starchy and sweet foods are on a high. The more sugar we have, the more sleepy and lethargic we feel.
Does this mean everyone experiences SAD? 💣
Not at all. Even though these temperature fluctuations are common for everyone, not every person may be as sensitive to these seasonal changes.
There can be a number of causes of SAD. To know more, click here.
Having trouble sleeping is just one of the signs of SAD, which means that not everyone who is either not sleeping enough or oversleeping has SAD. Only when a majority of the signs of SAD are being experienced, is it safe to say that they are struggling with seasonal depression.
What Can Help? 🩹
There are many ways to treat sad. Here's a list of a few common ones:
🕯️ Bright Light Therapy
This is one of the most common go-to treatments for SAD. It is a preventive treatment wherein a bright lightbox substitutes for natural light (from the sun) in order to stimulate healthy sleep patterns, mood changes, and serotonin activity. Medical supervision is important throughout this process of diagnosis, psychotherapy, prescription of antidepressant medications (if any), and treatment.
🤳 Mini-Therapy
This is one of the easiest and most accessible forms of help to help improve mental health, especially as a way to get better sleep. Do you ever think, "I have completely ruined my sleep schedule in the lockdown" or "I just want to get some sleep tonight" or "I am struggling to fall back asleep"? It is exactly for these moments when we feel lost and want guidance, when we can't access therapy (at 12 am in the night), that mini-therapies can step in and help us cope with our discomfort.
Last Word on Mental Health 🤍
Not being able to sleep at night can be taxing, especially when it is not about just one night. The cycle of having to wake with barely any energy, living life and growing as an individual can all feel overwhelming.
Who knew? Those trite seeming suggestions to 'sleep on time' and 'sleep for 8 hours every night' could be our cushions against depression.
Note on Mental Disorders ⛳
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a seasonal form of Major Depressive Disorder (severe clinical depression or major depression). If the SAD symptoms worsen, it is important to contact a mental health professional to help us find a treatment for the depressive episodes.
Seasonal Affective Disorders are often accompanied by other mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder, panic disorder or anxiety disorder. If you have such symptoms of depression or thoughts of self-harm, please use the national institute helpline or contact a mental health professional to seek treatment options.
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