Beating the Winter Blues: A practical guide on how to get through winter at Cornell

Though Cornell boasts state-of-the-art facilities, great faculty, and numerous opportunities for any student to find instruction in any subject, it also has some of the dreariest weather in the northeast. With long, cloudy winters around the Ithaca area, many students, staff, and faculty suffer from the blues, a mild depression brought on by a decrease in exposure to sunlight as autumn deepens. This page is intended to provide you with information concerning the symptoms and effective methods on how to treat the winter blues.

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What are the Winter Blues?

Those suffering from the winter blues fall into a depressed mood each year in the fall and continue to feel depressed throughout the winter and into the early spring, when these feelings disappear. The winter blues and its more severe counterpart, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), affects about four times as many women as men. Nearly 25% of all college students across the United States suffer from the winter blues and this percentage increases at higher latitudes or more cloudy areas, such as the Ithaca region.

The winter blues are primarily caused by unstable melatonin levels, a hormone produced during sleep, and serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for mood, hunger, and sleep. As the days become shorter and the hours of sunlight decrease, sufferers of the winter blues experience changes in their mood, energy level, and ability to concentrate.  Although the winter blues are not as severe as long-term depression,they can change the way a person thinks, reacts, and deals with everyday challenges. 

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Do You Have the Winter Blues?

If you experience two or more of these symptoms each year in the fall and into the spring you may suffer from the winter blues:

• Increased feelings of lethargy
• Difficulty waking up in the mornings as the days get shorter
• Difficulty concentrating and thinking creatively in comparison to the summer months
• Incorrectly blaming oneself for things that go wrong
• Difficulty performing tasks that normally seem to be easy/enjoyable
• Increased craving for carbohydrate-rich food like chocolate and sodas

Unfortunately the climate at Cornell won’t change, but the good news is that more than 85% of people with the winter blues can overcome these symptoms with various forms of therapy.

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Light Boxes

Multiple studies found that the majority of those suffering from the winter blues experienced relief solely from the regular use of "light boxes." Light boxes emit high intensities of light of 2,500 to 10,000 lux (as compared to a normal light fixture that emits 250 to 500 lux) and produce similar effects to the sun’s natural rays. The high intensities of light improve the mood of those suffering from the winter blues because they restrict the secretion of melatonin in the brain. These boxes are best used daily and in the early morning for periods of 30 minutes to two hours. Depending on the severity of the winter blues case, most people find their symptoms are gone after just 2 weeks of use. Light boxes may or may not be covered by your insurance plan, so be sure to your Plan provider. You can purchase light boxes at The Gannett Pharmacy, or from several companies on-line.

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Exercise and its benefits for the blues

Aerobic exercise has proven to help college students combat feeling of the blues in the winter. Not only does aerobic exercise improve mood, but it also has been shown to reduce stress, which often exacerbates feelings of depression brought on by the winter blues. Studies had pointed out that one hour doing aerobic exercise outside (even with a cloudy skies overhead) had the same benefits as 2.5 hours of light treatment indoors.  Aerobic exercise rids winter blues suffers from feelings of depression because it increases serotonin levels.  Briskly walking to classes, taking a run, skiing, sledding and having a snowball fight have all be proven to help suffers of the blues feel better.

Diet: What to Eat and Why

Many people who suffer from the winter blues crave junk food and soft drinks as the days get shorter. The reason they want to indulge in high-sugar foods is because carbohydrates are often effective in increasing serotonin levels in the brain. A better strategy for anyone with the winter blues would be to eat larger portions of complex carbohydrates, like pasta and rice, and healthy simple carbohydrates like fruits and fruit juices during meals, and stay away from unhealthy snacks that will cause momentary relief, but ultimately decrease energy.

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Sleep Strategies that  help

Because many college students tend to go to sleep late and wake up late, those suffering from the winter blues are often asleep when the morning sun is up and shining. This sleep-wake schedule limits the number of hours that those with the winter blues are exposed to sunlight. Winter blues sufferers should make an effort to expose themselves to sunlight in the early morning. Take a walk outside or lift the curtain in your room as soon as you rise.  Also, try to limit sleep to 8-hour periods on a regular schedule.  Oversleeping and fluctuation in sleep-wake schedule causes increases in levels of melatonin during sleep, which can contribute to feelings of depression.  Set a regular bedtime and wake up at the same time each day. This will give you more energy during the day and reduce feelings of depression.

Medication

Some people who suffer from more severe cases of the winter blues might find that anti-depressant medicine, in conjunction with other forms of therapy, assist mood.  Drugs like Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft, which increase levels of serotonin by blocking re-uptake cites in the brain, have proven effective with some patients.  There is evidence that suggests that over the counter medication St. John’s wort may also be effective also proven effective in relieving symptoms.  If considering any medication, it should be noted that these are just recommendations and those interested in the possible benefits of anti-depressants should first speak with a professional counselor.

Resources

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Office of Communications
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda, MD 20892-9663
Phone: 301-443-4513
Web site:

Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder,
What it is and how to cure it. (1993).
Norman Rosenthal. New York: Guilford Press.

Web MD. Keyword Search: Winter Blues;

Seasonal Mood Disorders. (1990). A.J. Lewy and M.C. Blehar. Alameda CA: Hunter House

This content was written by Gannett Intern, Giorgio Piccoli, '07