Posted on by MukhtaarWaja · 1 Comment

Feeling the Winter Blues? Turns Out, You’re Not Imagining It!

There are only two constants in this life: the Earth will spin around the sun, bringing with it the changing of the seasons; and I will not stop talking about how seasonal changes can potentially affect your mental health. Summer heat can be dangerous, directly affecting our health and heightening the risk of violent crimes. Winter weather is also potentially dangerous for your mental health, but in a different way! At this point, you may be wondering why the weather hates you and you specifically, but that’s not something I’m at liberty to tell you, dear reader. What I can tell you is that certain mental health conditions appear to be adversely affected by winter weather conditions, and there are ways to mitigate this effect. While the summer heat can make good people go bad, the winter cold can make all people feel sad – or should I say SAD? That joke will make sense in a moment, but it still won’t be very funny or alleviate those winter SADs.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a relatively well-known condition whereby individuals experience depressive symptoms during the autumn and winter months. Symptoms include loss of appetite and motivation, and a sense of listlessness and fatigue. SAD is not the only mental health condition impacted by winter weather; research suggests that diagnoses of bipolar disorder, and substance abuse disorder may also increase during the winter months. Biologically, we can understand the relationship between winter weather and conditions such as SAD and bipolar disorder like so: during winter, a decrease in sunlight results in a deficiency of vitamin D, which disrupts serotonin, dopamine, and melatonin production in the brain. Decreased sunlight exposure disrupts healthy sleeping patterns, and can leave you feeling unmotivated and tired. Exposure to sunlight is incredibly important for your mental health.  

It’s also important to note that winter weather is not social weather, and most people tend to spend more time indoors when the temperature starts to drop and the sun sets earlier. The isolation that may come with winter can also contribute to incidence of SAD, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse disorder, stemming from a sense of loneliness and apathy. Research suggests that drug overdoses increase in winter, and incidences of substance abuse tend to do the same. Individuals may turn to substance abuse as a response to the psychological impacts of winter, or as a way to feel warmer, due to the effects of alcohol on the body. Lower temperatures may also drive individuals to increase the dosage of the substances they use, as the cold weather may dampen the perceived effects of these substances. Basically, don’t do drugs in the wintertime. Don’t do drugs at all, but especially not in winter.

While the effects of winter on mental health is relatively well-known, and slightly less prevalent in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s still an issue that many South Africans live with, and which many people tend to brush off and not fully engage with. The stigma surrounding mental health still exists, and can easily be internalised, making it difficult to acknowledge the full weight of what you feel. It’s important not to downplay your experience and to maintain healthy habits during the winter. Cold weather doesn’t have to leave you isolated – you can get in touch with friends and family over any of the many free social media and communication platforms we have available to us! Your health matters to the people around you and they will want to support you, so don’t be shy to reach out. Stay active and exercise – you can do it within the comfort of your own home! Exercising is not just about gaining muscle or losing weight, and it will benefit both your mind and your body. Working out works wonders for your mental health, is a great way to destress, and it has turned me into the absolute unit that I am today.

So, dress warm, stay safe, and thank you for reading my blog, dear reader. The weather might hate you, but I think you’re pretty cool.

Posted on by johanne_marais

Sleeping more and moving less? Thank the suprachiasmatic nucleus!

The winter solstice rolls us into the second half of the solar year. Trees surrender their fiery leaves to frozen dewdrops on bare branches. Shorter periods of daylight and longer portions of night lure thick socks and hot water bottles out from a deep drawer of winter clothes. Hearty stews simmer and fires frequently flicker as the season shifts. Animals seek warmth and reprieve from the cold by “… migration, hibernation and resistance (tolerance)”. For many humans, winter may burgeon these types of adaptations too, encouraging changes to our appetite, our exercise patterns, even our sleep and wakeful behaviours! Unpacking the physiology of this can help us be kinder to our bodies and minds for embracing our inner polar bears during winter months. So, allow me another moment of sleep science nerdery…

An intrinsic, 24-hour, regulatory system is present in each of our bodies. The system is called the circadian rhythm; internal oscillations that cycle around a biological clock. Some molecular mechanisms of the biological clock are retained across plant and animal kingdoms – from the most primitive single-cell organisms like cyanobacteria to human beings. In mammals, the circadian rhythmicity is observed in fluctuations of hormones, sleep-wake cycles and even periods of optimal cognitive functioning. Genetic variables of circadian rhythms are by no means conserved across species, and especially not within the same species.

Your 24-hour structure may differ from your housemate, sibling, or colleague by up to eight hours. This depends on microenvironments within and macroenvironments around the body. For example, your sibling, a shift worker who drives shipment trucks across the country, might wake up at two o’clock in the morning to arrive at their destination by four o’clock that afternoon. Their bedtime may be 6pm. At this time, a night nurse who clocked in at Rahima Moosa moments earlier may be enjoying his equivalent of a “morning coffee” and prepares to work through the night. How can this vary so vastly (and manageably) from person to person?

In brief, the answer is light and chemistry!

The circadian rhythm’s master-regulatory site is called the suprachiasmatic nucleus – a cluster of thousands of neuronal cells in the brain, situated on top of the optic chiasm. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is receptive to photic stimulation (think: packages of light called photons sent via the visual system) and chemical (or, neurotransmitter) stimulation. The SCN’s sensitivity to light means that timely exposure to or limitation of daylight can shift the phase of our circadian rhythms; we can feel a desire to sleep earlier and wake up later, like with shift workers.

This is happening across the world as seasons change: a phase shift of circadian rhythm aligning with Earth’s orbital cycles and environmental cues. During winter, the sun sets about 90 minutes earlier than it would in warmer months – it may be a challenge to stay awake until your 11pm summer-bedtime. Similarly, the 5am Club may lose a few committed members (not mentioning any names erhuurhm @me) between May and August. Frankly, if the Sun can go to sleep earlier, so can I! This is an expected adaptation; a sign of your body adjusting well to its circumstance. No big deal!

It is also common for emotional affect to change in winter. Ever heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder? It’s basically the SADs that often come with less sunlight exposure. Our mental health is a huge determinant of our sleep-wake behaviours, too. People who live with a psychiatric illness (or even symptoms of one) are considerably more likely to experience coincident insomnia – up to 90% coincidence! This relationship, though, is no coincidence. Several molecular messengers involved in sleep, wakefulness, appetite control, and mood regulation are in the same class of neurotransmitters called monoaminergic neurotransmitters.

Just as animals do, humans may migrate smaller distances in winter: like, no further than to the snack stash and back. So, maybe we gather a little more belly fat. We don’t have that spring (haha, get it?) in our step. We want to sleep in… Guess what? Colder times of the year welcome a series of natural and protective evolutionary traits to be expressed and experienced. Sometimes that feels like seven extra centimetres between your skin and your belt buckle or admitting you simply must rest for 12 hours every day. Just as we do not look up at leafless trees nor look down at frost on the grass with judgement, there should be no shame around the physical, psychological, or physiological changes that come from seasons changing. If you’re sleeping more and moving less, give thanks to the suprachiasmatic nucleus!