Feeling tired? What to know about winter fatigue and seasonal affective disorder

It's cold out. The days are shorter and you are more tired than usual.

If you are feeling extra sleepy and fatigued during the winter months, you are not alone.

One of the reasons that winter tiredness or winter fatigue occurs is because of the seasonal shifts that affects our circadian rhythm: when it's dark out your body produces more of the sleep-inducing hormone, known as melatonin, which in turn, leads to tiredness.

Why am I more tired than usual during the winter months?

Dr. J. Ryan Fuller, clinical psychologist and executive coach at New York Behavioral Health, said that there are a variety of reasons that on their own, or combined, can cause low energy particularly during the winter months.

"A lot of it has to do with during the winter months and this hemisphere, obviously there are shorter days, so people get less sunlight exposure," Fuller said. "That can impact things like vitamin D -- people can become deficient. It also can be disruptive of circadian rhythms, which can throw off our sleep, and that can affect our mood and lead to lower energy. With the cold weather, people have a tendency to be outdoors less [...] and in addition to that, they tend to be less physically active and we know that physical activity oftentimes is something that boosts our mood and energy levels. And so as that comes down, that can have an impact, as well."

According to Fuller, who has a weight loss specialty, our habits, particularly during the holidays can impact our moods.

"What we see a lot of times is during the winter months, there's a lot of holiday parties and celebrations and things like that," Fuller said. "With the holidays, people have a tendency to overeat, and there tends to be this cycle where we overeat, we gain some weight, we then beat up on ourselves for gaining the weight, we feel worse and then we overeat to compensate. That cycle leads to more weight gain and sometimes lower moods."

What is seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?

Although low energy levels tends to have an affect on people, it is important to keep track of your symptoms because they can actually be tied to another diagnosis: seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD.

How do you know if your mood changes are tied to this disorder? According to Fuller, it has to do with the length of time you experience symptoms and a pattern in their appearance.

"If the the changes in mood are really tied to the seasons, and that can occur at least two years in a row, that's going to typically be diagnosed as as a major depressive disorder with seasonal affective disorder as a specifier," Fuller said, adding "really we're looking at mood symptoms that are depressive in nature that are coming at that specific time of the year or some pattern on an ongoing basis."

Fuller said that changes you should be on the lookout for are your energy level, changes in appetite, changes in weight, sleep, libido, thoughts, and if this manifests in a way that it interferes with your life.

If you are experiencing any of these changes, Fuller recommends seeing a professional who can evaluate you.

"They can really assess pretty quickly whether or not it's actually a clinical disorder like major depressive disorder or seasonal affective disorder, Fuller said. "The good news is those both those disorders are highly treatable with scientifically supported therapies."

Tips to deal with low energy levels in the winter months

There are quite a few things you can do to beat low energy during the cold, dark winter months. According to Fuller, if one was diagnosed with SAD, the following are also some tips that may help you combat those symptoms.

"I think [these] are sort of simple things, if we're talking about something that's just winter fatigue and subclinical, we can do," Fuller said. "Likewise, if it was clinical in nature, [these] are some things that most likely a clinician's going to recommend you do as well."

1. Increase sunlight exposure

The first thing that Fuller recommends is to increase one's exposure to sunlight.

"The easiest way to do that of course is just to make sure you're getting outside," Fuller said. "Make sure the windows are open. It's typically recommended to do as much of that as you can in the morning."

Fuller suggests that a light therapy box can also assist you "to get more more light exposure."

2. Maintain or increase exercise routine or physical activity

"In addition, and it's tied to getting outside, making sure that you're maintaining or increasing your exercise or physical activity," Fuller said, admitting that it can be challenging for because of the cold weather.

However, Fuller believes that exercise can still be done outdoors in winter.

"I really like the saying: 'there's no bad weather, there's just bad clothing,'" he said.

Fuller recommends layering up with the first layer being polypropylene "which can wick the moisture away if you're sweating."

"We don't want anyone slipping on ice, but the cold temperature doesn't have to be a reason not to exercise outside," Fuller went on to say. "And if we're talking about winter fatigue or seasonal affective disorder, you're getting two bangs for your buck in that you're outside getting sunlight and your physically active."

3. Schedule pleasurable activities

In addition, Fuller recommends to his clients to schedule activities they find pleasure in like "things that bring us joy, excitement, hope, that we're going to find ourselves smiling or laughing could be doing something fun with a friend, could be playing a pickup soccer game on the weekends. It could be a ballroom dancing class, something that brings you pleasure. We know that bolsters people's mood."

4. Schedule mastery activities

"You can also schedule what we call mastery activities," Fuller said. "That is learning a new skill, gaining some new knowledge or refining and practicing and getting even better at something you already do. We know that tends to decrease depressive symptoms."

5. Decrease social media/screen time and opt for real social connections

According to Fuller, decreasing one's use of social media and screen time is also a good idea that can be beneficial when it comes to combating one's low energy levels during the winter months or SAD symptoms.

The quality of interpersonal relationships "is something that really is associated with happiness and satisfaction with life -- and so we want to make sure we're doing enough of that," Fuller said.

6. Consistent sleep routine

Mood is tied to sleep, so it is no wonder that Fuller recommends a consistent sleep routine to keep our circadian rhythm undisrupted during the winter months.

"We want to practice, good sleep hygiene. One of the most basic things is just to make sure you're going to bed and you're waking up at a regular time every day," Fuller said. "So as much as possible, preserve good quality sleep every night."

Remember...

According to Fuller, feeling fatigued or even experiencing SAD is more common than you may think.

However, remember to talk to your doctor, clinician, psychologist or psychiatrist if you are experiencing any mood changes or other symptoms that are out of the ordinary.

"People don't have to be alarmed" if they are experiencing any symptoms, Fuller said, adding that one should "practice good self care, but should not hesitate to go and get evaluated if it's really starting to interfere in different areas of [one's] life."

"If you go to the right kinds of clinicians, they can really assess it very quickly and there are highly effective treatments, highly effective therapies that can be helpful."