Coping with the Winter Months
Daylight Savings Time is behind us, and while you may have consciously accepted the shorter hours of sunlight as an irritating fact of life, your body (and mind) may not yet be on board. Adjusting to the winter schedule can take a toll on both your physical and mental health.
If you’re still missing a step, that change in your circadian rhythm could be a bigger issue than you anticipated. Here are two of the biggest ways the time change can affect your physical and mental health, and what you can do to adjust.
Increased Headaches
Your circadian rhythm, the natural clock your body adheres to on a 24-hour cycle, affects a number of bodily functions, including the timing of the release of hormones related to hunger, mood and sleepiness. When the time changes, some people experience cluster headaches, or sudden, severe headaches on one side of the head, for a week or more. It seems that changing the body’s clock by even an hour can wreak havoc on the hormones.
To combat these headaches, try to stick to the same routine you held before the time change in terms of when you go to sleep, and limit alcohol or caffeine consumption before bed time, which can impair your body’s ability to fall asleep.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Some people can shrug it off, but for many of us, the fact that it’s dark during the evening commute can impact our mental well being. This general feeling of melancholy is called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. Symptoms may be significant, ranging from feelings of depression, hopelessness and worthlessness to low energy, difficulty concentrating, frequent thoughts of death or suicide, overeating and irritability.
It’s important to be aware of how you’re reacting to SAD and to take steps to mitigate its effects. Taking care of your body is a good place to start. Make a conscious effort to stick to a healthy diet and limit your alcohol intake.
Experts at the Mayo Clinic also suggest making an effort to socialize and spend time in the company of those who make you happy. Thankfully, this time of year boasts some big holidays to help make that happen. And if you have the time and funds for it, taking a vacation to a warmer climate is a powerful inoculation against SAD.
Perhaps most important, if you are seriously affected by the time change, and steps to deal with it are having little or no impact, it’s probably time to see your mental health professional.
David Lowenstein, Ph.D. is a psychologist and the clinical director of Lowenstein & Associates, Inc. in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to providing therapeutic services to individuals and families, he offers training and consultation to numerous associations, schools and agencies around the country. Additionally, he is a frequent radio and TV guest and a resource and contributing writer for numerous newspapers and magazines nationwide. Contact Dr. David Lowenstein at 691 South Fifth Street Columbus, OH 43206 or by phone at 614.443.6155 or 614.444.0432.
