Maintaining employee health in winter months

As winter approaches and the days become short, many experience sadness or irritability. These feelings may be symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is a type of depression that is common this time of year and tends to diminish in the spring and summer during daylight savings time.

Some people may experience the opposite seasonal pattern, but it’s more common in the fall and winter when there is less natural sunlight. In either situation, the symptoms of SAD are mild at first and become more severe as the season progresses.  These symptoms are otherwise mild or nonexistent during the summer months.

Common symptoms of SAD

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, not everyone experiences the same symptoms of SAD¹. Common signs of SAD may include:

  • Anxious, sad or “empty” mood during the day
  • Irritability
  • Hopelessness or pessimism
  • Restlessness
  • Low energy and fatigue
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities
  • Trouble sleeping or loss of appetite
  • Difficulty concentrating and remembering details
  • Physical aches or pains

The exact cause of SAD is unknown, but it has been linked to a biochemical imbalance in the brain that is triggered by the lack of sunlight in the winter. Another cause may be the disruption of your biological clock (also called your circadian rhythm) when the seasons change. This may cause you to feel out of sync with your daily schedule.

So, what can you do?

The most common treatment for SAD is light therapy, also called phototherapy, which involves sitting near a light therapy box that exposes you to very bright light for 30 to 45 minutes a day, usually first thing in the morning, during the winter. Vitamin D can also be effective.

Depending on the duties of your employees, encourage walks outside during lunchbreaks—even on cloudy days—and rearranging their workspaces or homes to increase exposure to natural sunlight during the day.

To learn how you can help prevent SAD within your organization and support your employees, reach out to an MMA Advisor for more information. ¹ National Institute of Mental Health

Related insights