The wind is howling and snowflakes are dancing outside. The sky is monotone gray and there’s more than a foot of snow on the ground. The kids are restless and can’t wait to jump in the first snow of the year, but it’ll already be dark by the time they get out of school. The sliver of setting sun doesn’t leave much time for building forts and snowball fights.
We passed the winter solstice on Dec. 21, so the length of our days has been slowly increasing, but we still feel there’s never enough sunlight and anxiously hope for the arrival of summer.
Do you find the idea of living with so much darkness daunting? One in five people living far away from the equator (above the 30th parallel, which includes the majority of North America and all of Europe) experience mood disturbances during the fall and winter months. You may feel sad and irritable or tired and lethargic. You may have little energy or interest in doing things and difficulty concentrating. Your behavior may change – you sleep more, socialize less, crave carbohydrates and sugar and gain weight due to overeating.
When these symptoms of “winter blues” become severe enough that it interferes with your daily life, you may be diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which affects 5% of Americans every year. Women, residents of higher latitudes, and shift workers are more susceptible. Alaskans are nine times more likely to develop SAD than Floridians. People who suffer from depression or bipolar disorder may see their symptoms fluctuate with the seasons as well.
Reduced daylight impacts our mood through several interconnected mechanisms. Light entering our eyes activates neurons that regulate our circadian rhythm, aligning our internal clock with the earth’s day-night cycle. When morning light is insufficient, this rhythm is disrupted, affecting mood and energy levels. Light also helps regulate serotonin, a hormone that promotes well-being, while darkness increases melatonin, which induces sleepiness. Additionally, sunlight’s ultraviolet B rays enable our skin to produce vitamin D, a nutrient vital for bone health, immune function and potentially mental health. Vitamin D deficiency, common during darker months, is often associated with depression-like symptoms.
How can we counteract these negative effects of being in the dark? Light therapy – sitting with eyes open, facing a light box emitting at least 10,000 lux of full-spectrum white light for 30 minutes every morning – is an effective treatment for SAD. In comparison, the intensity of sunlight measures 20,000-100,000 lux on sunny days and 3,000 lux when it rains. Indoors, the sunlight flux is much lower and decreases exponentially as we move away from windows, so it’s difficult to replicate all qualities of sunlight with artificial light.
In addition, the twilight transition may be important in setting the circadian rhythm, so some scientists suggest early morning sunlight is the best to catch. Exposure to outdoor daylight in general has been shown to have mental health benefits, reducing depressive mood in office workers and stroke and dementia patients.
Pharmacotherapy, mainly antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac), is approved for SAD. The treatment effect is similar to light therapy, but patients tend to experience more side effects. Counseling and cognitive behavior therapy focused on stress management and behavioral modification work as well.
The best thing to do is to catch the sunlight when we can. We can take inspiration from Henrik Ibsen and the concept he popularized, Friluftsliv, which is Norwegian for “fresh air living.” It encourages us to embrace the winter and spend as much time outdoors as possible, despite the cold. Start the day by opening the windows to let in sunlight as soon as you wake up in the morning. Dress warm and take a walk in natural daylight after breakfast or lunch. On the weekends, spend time outside such as hiking on a trail, biking or sledding.
To prevent and alleviate the winter blues, focus on strategies that boost mood and overall well-being during the darker months. Brighten your home and workspace by maximizing natural light or using additional lighting. Regular exercise helps maintain physical health and supports mental resilience. Incorporate stress-relief practices such as meditation, yoga or mindfulness into your routine. In the evening, limit exposure to light, particularly blue light from electronic devices, and opt for low-level night lights placed below eye level.
If the long, dark winter days aren’t your style, consider a getaway to a sunnier, warmer destination – it’s a refreshing way to break the cycle of darkness and rekindle motivation. From personal experience, it truly makes a difference.
Qing Yang and Kevin Parker are a married couple living in Springfield who write about health issues, patient advocacy and navigating the health care landscape. Qing is an anesthesiologist at St. John’s Hospital, and Kevin is a senior adviser for the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. Reach them with comments, health-related questions or column topic suggestions at health@qingmd.com.
This article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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This article appears in Healthy, wealthy and wise 2025.
