#seasonal-affective-disorder

#seasonal-affective-disorder

'The psychological impact of these dark, damp days can be significant. 'Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) affects around three in every 100 people in the UK, is more common in women, and is associated with symptoms such as loss of energy, weight gain and a desire to sleep more. 'We often become more fatigued in the cold and dark, making some of us feel like we just want to hunker down and wait for spring.'

Despite little to no daylight-plus months of frigid temperatures-people who live in northern Europe and above the Arctic Circle have learned how to cope mentally and physically with the annual onset of the winter blues, which can begin as early as October and last into April for some. The winter solstice will occur Dec. 21, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. While sunlight increases daily after that, winter won't be over for a while yet.

Living in a place where it's cold and dark for several months at a time can take a toll on even the toughest person. During Alaska winters, I'd go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. Summers bring almost 24 hours of daylight, but that doesn't necessarily mean sunshine, as Alaskan summers can also be quite rainy. The light made sleep extremely difficult, too.

For some people, the arrival of winter is a time to be embraced - a chance to hunker down and get cosy. However, others dread the lack of natural light and plummeting temperatures, not just due to higher heating and electricity bills, but also for the detrimental affect it has on their mood. For this reason, when looking at how to prepare your home for winter, it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with some 'happy home hacks' too.

Your article (Looking forward to an extra hour in bed on Sunday? Time to thank a farsighted builder from Kent, 25 October) misses the main point for many people. The extra hour of darkness in the afternoons outweighs the extra morning hour of light. Psychologically, you can deal with darker mornings when you know it's going to get light later, whereas those of us with seasonal affective disorder feel miserable at the prospect of endless hours of darkness from mid-afternoon onwards. Paul Highfield Sheffield

My therapist tells me it is seasonal memory. I find it a bit strange, since in the southern hemisphere where I now live, there are no cherry blossoms blooming as they are now in Herbert Park.