Why does my mood crash every winter?
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS
Shorter days shift the body clock and starve the brain of morning light, and in susceptible people that lands as seasonal low mood: oversleeping, carb cravings, heaviness and withdrawal each winter, lifting in spring.
The best-proven fix is bright light within an hour of waking, a 10,000 lux lamp for twenty to thirty minutes daily from autumn, plus daylight walks and keeping exercise alive through the dark months.
When winters bring true depression, hopelessness, or thoughts of self-harm, that deserves professional treatment, which works as well for the seasonal kind as any other.
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