Why your baby blues make you less susceptible to the winter blues

The winter months are tough for a lot of us…

We’re stuck inside. We go for days on end without sunshine. We eat too much junk and comfort food that doesn’t leave us looking or feeling our best.

But winter is particularly tough for a certain group of people….

People with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Sure, we all feel frustrated, claustrophobic or a little stir-crazy as the winter drags on. But people who deal with SAD feel fatigued, lonely, apathetic and downright depressed.

Now, SAD can vary in severity. Some people get a minor case of the winter blues. Others end up deeply depressed. If you fall somewhere on the less severe end of the spectrum, you may never seek professional help or a formal diagnosis, and you may be left wondering whether your winter doldrums are due to SAD.

The only way to find out for sure is to visit the doctor. But some new research may be able to help you determine whether you have a high or low risk for SAD right away….

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How to see your risk for SAD more clearly

A recent study from researchers at The University of South Wales found that eye color affects your risk for SAD.

The study included 175 students from two universities. Based on their answers to a seasonal pattern assessment questionnaire, students with dark eyes were more likely to suffer from SAD than students with blue eyes. A 2002 study had similar findings — dark eyes put you more at risk for seasonal depression.

But why on earth would eye color make a difference in your seasonal depression risk?

Well, researchers suspect it comes down to the amount of light your eye can process. People with light eye colors, like blue and gray, are more sensitive to light. That means it takes less light to trigger their retinal cells, which then trigger their nerve cells, which ultimately cause the brain to release hormones like oxytocin.

As light reaches your brain, it also decreases the amount of the sleep hormone melatonin your brain produces (that’s why looking at brightly-lit screens at night can mess with your sleep).

As you know, hormones regulate everything from temperature to hunger to sleep cycles. They also influence our moods.

Related: Ditch the wintertime blues with mood-boosting foods

So, say you live somewhere that’s dark and gray during the winter. If you have light eyes, you may be able to get enough light to keep your hormones on track and your mood balanced.

But if you have dark eyes, there might not be enough light to trigger your retinal cells, nerve cells and ultimately release those hormones you need to stay happy.

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Slashing your risk for SAD

Now, you can’t change your eye color. But there are plenty of other ways to ward off the winter blues…

People who spend lots of time indoors are more likely to develop SAD, so try to spend some time outdoors even in the winter. If you bundle up, you may learn to love being outside in the winter. Go for a walk. Go cross-country skiing. Go snowshoeing. There are plenty of outdoor hobbies that will help you get the light you need.

You may also want to try something called phototherapy. Phototherapy is a form of light therapy where you sit in front of a special light box. The light from these boxes can trigger the same response in your retinal cells and brain cells as natural light, triggering the brain chemicals you need to maintain a balanced mood.

Research shows that most people with SAD notice an improvement from phototherapy within in a few days. So, it’s highly effective.

These light boxes aren’t necessarily cheap, though. You can get a decent quality one for about $70 to $100. But hey… if it keeps you from battling the blues all winter long, it’ll be the best $70 to $100 you ever spent.

Sources:

1. Seasonal affective disorder: your eye colour might be why you have the winter blues — MedicalXpress
2. Depressive symptomatology differentiates subgroups of patients with seasonal affective disorder — Depression and Anxiety
3. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) — Mayo Clinic