The winter chill is slowly setting in, and we have now turned back our clocks. The days are feeling shorter and the evenings, darker. And although we’ve anticipated and experienced this seasonal shift for years now, it’s no secret that the absence of sunlight can alter our moods, year after year.

According to the Journal of Affective Disorders, a reported 15% to 20% of the population worldwide experience the “Winter Blues” with the onset of winter. The symptoms--mood and energy problems, tiredness, increased appetite, carbohydrate and sugar cravings, and hypersomnia (excessive daytime or prolonged nighttime sleeping)-- are so common that Winter Blues is not always easily diagnosed.

Therefore, it’s estimated that more than the reported number suffer from Winter Blues. It is three to four times more common in women than men and most prevalent in women between the ages of 13 and 55. Those who live in more northern climates with longer winters are also more prone to experience the blues than those who live in warmer environments.

Treatment for Winter Blues
The technical term for Winter Blues is subsyndromal seasonal affect disorder, or sub-SAD.  (Seasonal Affect Disorder is sub-SAD’s evil step-sister -- winter depression whose symptoms entail stronger feelings of lethargy, sadness, and depression with arrival of winter and is reported to effect up to 10% of the population, according to the National Comorbidity survey.)

But thanks to modern medicine and technology, there are ways to alleviate recurring bouts of Winter Blues.  The most recommended and effective form of treatment is light therapy or phototherapy, which involves patients looking towards a box that emits a bright, artificial light that mimics qualities of natural light.  Treatment periods can be brief, though, as the majority of light therapy patients recover within three weeks of using light therapy on a regular basis.

How does it work?
Research has found that light encourages the production of the hormone serotonin, which monitors appetite, mood, sleep, memory, and learning.  Just like it is easier to wake up with the sun than with an alarm clock, bright light boosts and improves mood and energy levels, increasing alertness, and regulating circadian rhythm (your internal body clock), which can help reduce sleep problems.

Bringing it home
Since light was first tied to mood by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the early 1980s, most of light therapy has been administered in high doses of white light at institutes or centers. But recent studies, including one study done by Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and another by the University of Utah, have indicated that a specific color or portion of the light is responsible for this beneficial reaction. This means that light therapy that is the right color can be much less bright and still be just as effective. Therefore, the potential of portable devices and therapy at home has become a realistic option for those who suffer from Winter Blues. 

This “less bright” blue light, with a similar color to the natural light in the blue summer sky, was shown to be as effective as other bright white light and drug studies, according to the University of Utah study.  In the Brigham & Women's Hospital study, over 80% of the patients responded within the first week to the low intensity blue light therapy.

In the end, there’s nothing we can do about winter’s shorter days or the absence of sunlight. But the proven efficacy of low-intensity light therapy allows the treatment of Winter Blues to be both accessible and affordable for more patients, as portable, low-cost alternatives can be easily administered by the people in their homes.

Dan