Navigating the winter blues of colder months!…overcoming SAD!

Yet another morning, yet another first morning hour has passed and your are already behind two morning routine tasks. You finally drag yourself out of bed. This happens 3 days in a row and you are consistently missing your morning workouts. If this repeats for over a week or two chances are you will soon find yourself being a couch potato, falling back on your work schedules, listening to sad songs and cursing God, the universe, your destiny, your family, the friend, for your imaginary problems and obviously for no apparent reason. Welcome to classic melancholy of winters. For some this behaviour is definitely aggravated by more time at hand during the winter break. And as more and more people move to work from home, they will have to self regulate lest they fall for problems easily manageable if they work in a traditional job setting.

Interestingly, there is a term for it ‘having the winter blues’. Perhaps because blue is the colour of the scenery around, sometimes towards grey sometimes towards pink but essentially blue. Besides the visuals, the melancholic songs of an era were termed blue for this reason as well. Blues music emerged in the late 19th century in the southern United States, shaped by work songs and spirituals that gave voice to fatigue, isolation, and emotional endurance during long, difficult days. Over time, “having the blues” became shorthand for a persistent low mood. Mainly marked by tiredness, withdrawal, and emotional slowing rather than acute distress. What culture named first, medicine later defined and today, similar recurring winter-time lows are recognised as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

The medical term for these winter blues is interestingly abbreviated as SAD. It is defined as a form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern, most commonly beginning in late autumn or winter and easing in spring or summer. It is linked primarily to reduced exposure to natural daylight, rather than cold temperatures alone.

Although people had long observed that mood worsens for some during winter, Seasonal Affective Disorder entered medical vocabulary only in the early 1980s. In 1984, psychiatrist Norman E. Rosenthal and colleagues formally described SAD while studying patients whose depression followed a clear seasonal pattern, improving with increased exposure to light. Through the late 1980s and 1990s, research linked these recurring winter depressions to disruptions in circadian rhythm and brain chemistry, leading to wider clinical recognition.

With scant sun that sometimes goes on vacation for days. To navigate these episodes becomes challenging if one is not alert from the get go. And then the effects are not only felt on the mind but on the body too. Not just weight gain but a poor digestion is a direct result of this blue syndrome. For it is strange how people tend to feel more hungry and eat more when they move around and work out less vis a vis after exercising even a reasonable amount. It is interesting to note how unaware we are of the chemistry, biology and essentially the anatomy of our bodies when we get carried away like that. Only to catch a breath and figure out what happened when spring arrives.

Experts believe lower daylight disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm, the internal clock that regulates sleep, mood, and energy. This disruption affects key brain chemicals, mainly serotonin, that influences mood, and melatonin, that controls sleep. This leads to symptoms such as persistent low mood, fatigue, oversleeping, difficulty concentrating, increased appetite, and social withdrawal.

Unlike short-term “winter blues,” SAD symptoms are recurrent, last for weeks or months, and can interfere with daily functioning. The condition is more common in people with a history of depression, limited outdoor exposure, or irregular sleep patterns, and it can occur even in regions with relatively mild winters.

The good news is that SAD is treatable. The most effective treatments for SAD focus on restoring light, routine, and rhythm. Because the condition is closely linked to reduced daylight and disrupted body clocks, care usually begins with lifestyle and environmental changes rather than medication. Increasing exposure to natural daylight can help regulate circadian rhythms and improve mood and energy. While clinically recommended light therapy, typically involving daily morning exposure to a bright light box under medical guidance, has been shown to reduce symptoms in many patients. Consistent sleep–wake times, regular meals, and structured daily routines further stabilise internal clocks disrupted in winter, while physical activity, outdoor movement, and social engagement help reset biological and emotional rhythms blunted during darker months.

This can be mitigated if you can rope in your workouts in the afternoons or any other convenient time. Of course if you can get 7000 to 10000 steps under your belt at least four to five times a week no blue green or red can affect you provided you are not suffering from clinical depression. In that case, the only recourse is to consult a physician for medication and not feel ashamed or uncomfortable taking it.

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