7 Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatments That Lift Your Mood All Winter Long
Experts reveal the cozy, relaxing ways to help beat the winter blues
Key Takeaways
- Morning sun and light therapy may help regulate your body clock and ease SAD symptoms.
- Cozy rituals, physical activity and social connections can help support your mood in winter.
- Seek help for persistent sadness, changes in sleep or appetite and feelings of hopelessness.
If the shift to shorter, darker days has left you feeling drained, foggy or down, you’re not alone. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)—often called the “winter blues”—is a type of depression tied to the seasonal drop in daylight. Symptoms frequently begin in October, as sunlight dwindles and our internal clocks fall out of sync. Fortunately, small, doable changes can make a real difference. Here are the seasonal affective disorder treatments experts swear by to help you feel more like yourself all winter long.
7 seasonal effective disorder treatments that lift your mood
To help keep symptoms of SAD (such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating, loss of interest and sadness) at bay during the fall and winter months, give these smart strategies a try.
Soak up morning light
Morning light helps reset your circadian rhythm, which can help ease symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. The sooner you get outside after waking, the better.
“Even brief exposure to bright light shifts our circadian cycle earlier, which can offer relief from winter symptoms like lethargy, sadness and cravings and enhance deep sleep,” says psychologist Michael Terman, PhD, president of the Center for Environmental Therapeutics and co-author of Reset Your Inner Clock: The Drug-Free Way to Your Best-Ever Sleep. “If it’s sunny, get outside for a 20-minute walk without sunglasses.”
Try a light therapy box
When stepping outside isn’t an option, a bright light box is one of the most studied seasonal affective disorder treatments. Research published in JAMA Psychiatry found that using a light box at 10,000 lux (about 20 times the strength of indoor lighting) for 30 minutes a day dramatically eased symptoms in people struggling with depression. Newer styles cost under $20 and look like desk lamps, so you can sip coffee or check email while soaking in the benefits.
Sink into a hot bath
In Japanese culture, many chase away the winter chill with a hot soak. And it’s a smart move when it comes to treating the insomnia that can sometimes come with seasonal affective disorder. Hot water stresses and strengthens the cardiovascular system the way a workout would, giving us the benefits of regular moderate exercise, says health psychologist Kari Leibowitz, PhD, author of How to Winter: Harness Your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, or Difficult Days. Even a warm shower or foot soak before bed helps lower your core body temperature, triggering the release of the sleep hormone melatonin.
Warm your feet under a blanket
Here’s a quick trick that doubles as a sleep aid: Tuck an extra-cozy blanket, like Ugg’s Coco Throw, around your feet at bedtime, or slip on a pair of fuzzy socks. Research suggests that when folks keep their feet warm as they sleep, they snooze. longer—and better sleep means lower anxiety the next day. That’s important when it comes to treating SAD.
“More than 95 percent of the body’s calming chemical serotonin is found in the gut,” explains gastroenterologist Niket Sonpal, MD. Quality sleep helps the beneficial gut bacteria that produce serotonin stay in balance.
Dance it out
Movement is a powerful mood lifter. “Exercise has been proven to enhance the ratio of good to bad gut bacteria while also stimulating the growth of other beneficial bacteria,” Dr. Sonpal says. Which, as we explained above, is vital for helping manage SAD symptoms.
Bundling up for a walk in nature with a friend ticks even more boxes. Neuroscientist Alex Korb, PhD, author of The Upward Spiral, says we reap the most mood-boosting benefits from activities that are “enjoyable, meaningful, social and physical.”
Phone a friend
“Even small gestures, like complimenting someone, make us feel more connected,” says social psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, distinguished professor and vice chair of psychology at the University of California, Riverside, and author of The How of Happiness. A quick Zoom chat counts, too. “Regular chats not only help heal loneliness—they make us feel physically warmer,” she adds.
Create a warming ritual
Lean into cozy. Leibowitz encourages warming rituals, from curling up with a good book and a hot cup of tea to placing a hot water bottle on your lap or relaxing by a roaring fire. In Scandinavia, she notes, unscented taper candles are lit multiple times a day. “Lighting two or three while you’re making breakfast makes a winter morning feel romantic instead of bleak.”
“We often think that for something to be healthy, it has to be effortful or even painful,” she says. “But healthy does and should feel good.”
When to call a doctor about seasonal affective disorder
If you experience persistent sadness and lack of motivation, or notice a significant shift in your sleeping or eating patterns, visit your doctor. And of course, if you feel hopeless or think about self-harm, seek immediate help. A trained physician can help walk you through treatment options for severe seasonal affective disorder, as well as explore if you could be suffering from major depression.
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