Does your mental health take a negative turn during the winter months? Perhaps you notice yourself feeling more anxious, depressed, irritable, fatigued, or dealing with an increase in traumatic stress symptoms or addictive behaviors. If so, you are not alone. In fact, some findings suggest that nearly 40% of Americans report an overall decline in mood in the winter and 66% report behavioral changes (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). There are many reasons for these impacts in the winter months. Let’s explore a few of them.
In many parts of the world, there is less sunshine during the winter months. Sunshine brings many benefits to our health including protection against disease, increased energy, and improvements in mental health (Razzaque, 2018; Wang et al., 2023). Several reasons have been proposed for the benefits of sunshine on mental health. One commonly proposed reason is that sunshine is the primary source of vitamin D for the body, which plays an important part in mood and sleep regulation (Huiberts, 2021). Several studies have found that a vitamin D deficiency can lead to several consequences, including anxiety and depression symptoms (Akpinar & Karadag, 2022; Anglin et al., 2013; Annweiler et al., 2013).
As a trauma therapist who practices in Portland, Oregon, I see the mental health impacts that decreased sunshine has every winter. Some sources say that Portland is high on the list for most depressing winters due to sunshine being present only 29% of the time in winter months (Wallace, 2023). Although I cannot attest to the truth in these statistics across U.S. cities, without fail, every winter I see clients struggling with increased anxiety, depression, traumatic stress, loneliness, and more. Although decreased sunshine is not solely responsible, this is an important factor that should not be ignored. There might be something neurobiological to looking ahead to “brighter days”.
It is no secret that the winter months bring an increase in illness. There is one fact about illness thought that might not be as well known: illness can bring changes in the body and brain that might lead to an increase in depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and other mental health struggles (Coughlin, 2022; Yu et al., 2023). Mental health can be impacted by more severe viruses like COVID-19 or influenza, and even the common cold (Preston et al., 2024; Yu et al., 2023). Thus, the sickness season can make you feel unwell in more ways than one.
The winter months bring more isolation and time inside. Whether this isolation is due to illness, people feeling more fatigued, or other factors, this isolation can impact our well-being. Vachuska (2024) discusses how social isolation can lead to several consequences such as poor sleep, depression, anxiety, poor cognitive functioning, suicidality, and more. Spending time with others is an important part of our well-being which might naturally be harder to engage in during winter months.
Countless research articles discuss the benefits that movement has on mental health (Kvam et al., 2016). The cold is an understandable deterrent for many to get outside (or to the gym) to be as active as they might in other months of the year. Insufficient or limited physical activity that can come with the winter can have several health consequences, such as low mood, depression symptoms, anxiety, and mental health disorders (NIH, 2019).
Although there are many people who struggle with the “winter blues”, some people are not negatively impacted by the winter changes. The impact that the winter months can have on us lies on a spectrum and is dependent upon our individual neurobiology, our history (e.g., mental health history, trauma history), societal components (e.g., societal pressures/norms in the winter), social connections, our geographical location, and more. If you feel like you are experiencing a pattern of significant changes in mood during certain seasons (like winter), you might be struggling with Seasonal Affective Disorder. If you find that the winter months bring unwelcome mental health challenges, here are some ways that you might be able to care for yourself.
References
Akpınar, Ş., & Karadağ, M. G. (2022). Is Vitamin D Important in Anxiety or Depression? What Is the Truth?. Current nutrition reports, 11(4), 675–681. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-022-00441-0
Anglin, R. E., Samaan, Z., Walter, S. D., & McDonald, S. D. (2013). Vitamin D deficiency and depression in adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 202, 100–107. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.111.106666
Annweiler, C., Rastmanesh, R., Richard-Devantoy, S., & Beauchet, O. (2013). The role of vitamin D in depression: From a curious idea to a therapeutic option. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 74(11), 1121–1122. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.13ac08783
Coughlin S. S. (2012). Anxiety and Depression: Linkages with Viral Diseases. Public health reviews, 34(2), 7. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03391675
Huiberts, L. M., & Smolders, K. C. H. J. (2021). Effects of vitamin D on mood and sleep in the healthy population: Interpretations from the serotonergic pathway. Sleep medicine reviews, 55, 101379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2020.101379
Kandola, A., Ashdown-Franks, G., Hendrikse, J., Sabiston, C. M., & Stubbs, B. (2019). Physical activity and depression: Towards understanding the antidepressant mechanisms of physical activity. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 107, 525–539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.09.040
Kvam, S., Kleppe, C. L., Nordhus, I. H., & Hovland, A. (2016). Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders, 202, 67–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.03.063
Preston, J., Moore, B. A., & Johnson, J. (2024). Clinical psychopharmacology made ridiculously simple (10th ed.). Medmaster.
Razzaque, M. S. (2018). Sunlight exposure: Do health benefits outweigh harm?. The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology, 175, 44–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsbmb.2016.09.004
Vachuska K. (2023). Cold weather isolation is worse in poor and non-white neighborhoods in the United States. Preventive medicine reports, 38, 102541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102541
Wacker, M., & Holick, M. F. (2013). Sunlight and Vitamin D: A global perspective for health. Dermato-endocrinology, 5(1), 51–108. https://doi.org/10.4161/derm.24494
Wallace, N. (2023). The Cities With the Most (and Least) Depressing Winters. https://smartasset.com/mortgage/cities-least-depressing-winters
Wang, J., Wei, Z., Yao, N., Li, C., & Sun, L. (2023). Association Between Sunlight Exposure and Mental Health: Evidence from a Special Population Without Sunlight in Work. Risk management and healthcare policy, 16, 1049–1057. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S420018
Yu, X., Wang, S., Wu, W., Chang, H., Shan, P., Yang, L., Zhang, W., & Wang, X. (2023). Exploring New Mechanism of Depression from the Effects of Virus on Nerve Cells. Cells, 12(13), 1767. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12131767
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