Colder, gloomier days abound in the winter, putting some in a dark place mentally. Alaska is one part of the world that gets less sunlight once winter comes. Here, the sun only shines for an average of nine hours a day, which causes mood and energy levels to drop, a characteristic of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
How Common is Seasonal Affective Disorder in Alaska?
According to statistics, SAD has become more common in Alaska. Forbes Health’s recent research ranked Alaska as the 15th worst state for the prevalence of depression-related symptoms in winter, garnering a rate of 16.4%.
Older research also noted that SAD affects some of the state’s population. Almost 10% of residents showed signs of the condition when the study was conducted, with SAD being more common in women.
How to Cope With SAD During Alaskan Winters
If SAD makes you stay in bed and feel down in the dumps during Alaskan winters, there’s a lot you can do to boost your mood and energy. The best coping strategies do wonders for your mental and physical health, helping you power through the challenging winter.
Here are some effective ways to ease the symptoms of SAD.
Recognize Your Symptoms
The first step to addressing SAD is to recognize its symptoms. As summer turns into fall and then to winter, these changes may occur:
- You feel sadder than usual.
- You become disinterested in specific activities or enjoy them less.
- You eat more food, crave carbohydrates or sugary food, or lose your appetite altogether.
- Your sleeping pattern changes. Typically, those with SAD oversleep.
- Your energy levels decrease, or you feel more exhausted even if you get adequate sleep.
- You’re unable to think, focus, or make decisions properly.
- You show unusual behaviors (pacing, wringing your hands, or feeling restless), or you tend to move or talk slowly.
- You feel hopeless, worthless, or guilty.
- You think about death or suicide.
Knowing how intense SAD gets can be challenging, as symptoms occur suddenly. You may experience mild symptoms earlier on, or they may worsen throughout the fall and winter months.
Ultimately, it pays to understand and address your symptoms. SAD can feel taxing or escalate into a more severe form of depression at most.
Get Some Light
It’s suggested that a lack of natural daylight during winter may cause SAD. To relieve symptoms, experts recommend exposing yourself to as much light as possible.
You can get much-needed light from light therapy and days outside.
Light Therapy
Light therapy requires a special lamp with a brighter light rated at 10,000 lux. You sit in front of this device, either near or somewhat farther away from it, and then look slightly at the light so that your eyes absorb it. About 20 to 30 minutes of light therapy daily, best done in the morning, can help improve symptoms of SAD.
Now, how does light therapy work for seasonal affective disorder? Extensive research cites that this type of therapy:
- Stabilizes the brain’s circadian rhythm or sleep-wake cycle
- Increases serotonin production
- Helps create a stable, consistent sleep pattern
- Makes one more alert
Going Outdoors
While light therapy is highly recommended for SAD, remember to get natural daylight as well. Consider building daily walks into your winter routine to breathe fresh air and be in a different environment, both boosting your mood.
Eat Healthy & On Time
SAD causes changes in appetite, with many reaching for carbohydrates and sugary food. As a result, they gain more weight. Eating a diet of fruits, vegetables, and more nutritious snacks, will keep you healthy during the cold Alaskan winter. (Consider including vitamin D in your diet, too.)
More importantly, make sure you’re eating on time. The circadian rhythm plays an important role in addressing SAD—on shorter days, eating or not eating tells your body to awaken or not. With consistent meal times daily, your internal clocks will know what time it is.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise also tells your body the time of day and to wake up. Moving your body often helps your internal clocks determine the time, wire your brain to awaken at the right time of day, and let your body rest at night. In turn, your body adapts to your current environment better.
To ease the winter blues with physical activity, start by walking, running, or doing simple exercises. You can also exercise with others to strengthen your body and socialize. The key here is to stay active despite the freezing weather.
Add Other Stimulating Activities to Your Daily Winter Routine
If you want to switch up your daily winter routine, it’s always a good idea to try something new or make time for your hobbies. Here are some great activities to build into your routine:
- Get a cookbook and recreate a recipe from it every week.
- Learn a new skill.
- Channel your creativity into writing, painting, composing songs, or other forms of art.
- Start a blog.
- Read one chapter of a book you haven’t finished yet every night.
Practice Self-Care
Sometimes, self-care is all you need to overcome a tough winter. Take a bubble bath, enjoy delicious food, or reminisce about the happiest moments you’ve had so far. And if work becomes too stressful, put it off until you feel much better. Give yourself some time to rest and see it as an essential step to staying above water.
Spend Time with Other People
Gloomier days and SAD also usher in isolation. Depression, anxiety, and despair show up easily whenever you spend time by yourself, and they can be challenging to ease alone.
If you feel overwhelmed every winter, talk to your loved ones and trusted professionals. These check-ins can make you feel better and give you some comfort.
Also, make sure to socialize. Go to that party you’ve been invited to and meet new people, play your favorite game with other enthusiasts, or meet an old friend. Small interactions build lasting connections, and brief weekly check-ins can improve your mood and energy.
Seek Professional Help
Another effective way to address SAD is to seek professional help. The experts you can contact include therapists whom you can open up to and trust to help you build a consistent routine. They’ll give you encouraging and well-informed advice, and in some cases, keep you from coping with SAD in unhealthy ways.
You can also turn to treatment centers or mental health programs for more professional help. Recovery centers offer an extensive set of services to people who have SAD or other mental health conditions. They’ll give you multiple resources to help you improve your stability and well-being, discuss medication and self-care with you, and connect you to a supportive community.
Ease the Blues During Cold Alaskan Winters
At a time when life may feel overwhelming, taking care of yourself is important. A consistent routine, quality time with your loved ones, and even a lot of light can help ease anxiety, loneliness, and despair during Alaskan winters.
For more about SAD and your treatment options, visit the Alaska Northern Lights blog today.
