How Long Will I Have Winter Blues?

If you've noticed a seasonal worsening of mood, it isn't something you should trifle with. If you've had a bout with the blues, chances are you will again, even if you experience a reprieve in between. Many Winter Bluer sufferers will experience seasons of lack of energy or mood problems followed by mild or normal winters, only to have winter blues creep up on them again. Almost all sufferers will deal with Winter Blues for decades, if not most of their lives.

Early Intervention Is Best

It may also be that Winter Blues problems can worsen over time. Light therapy has been determined to be the most effective treatment for Winter Blues, since Winter Blues results from the lack of light, and patients respond better to light therapy than to other treatment modalities. However, it is best to use light preventatively as it may help Winter Blues from worsening over the years.

Keeping Winter Blues at Bay

One of the best prevention tools is a daily journal or use our online mood tracker tool. The mood tracker will let you know when your body starts to react to darker or shorter days. The mood tracker will point out these problems before you may notice them, and is especially good for knowing when to use the light the following year. If you start using your light 1 -2 weeks before your symptoms flare up, you may only have to use it for 15-20 minutes instead of ½ hour or more.

What You Notice First

Winter Blues is really a result of a circadian rhythm disturbance, and when your circadian rhythm gets off, your sleep will probably suffer first. If you start having trouble waking up or sleeping, you should start using your light. The next symptom involves your energy. If you begin to notice a lack of energy without any external reasons, such as an illness, your body is probably dealing with a hormone imbalance caused by an out of synch body clock. Finally, mood problems and lack of energy become prevalent. An example of mood problems or negative thoughts may be the feelings of foreboding or dread about the season or winter holidays.

When Does Winter Blues Start?

For most women, Winter Blues starts in their early 20's and extends into their 40's and 50's. Three to four times the number of women than men are afflicted by Winter Blues. Men are a bit behind, and don't usually start experiencing Winter Blues until their late 20's or early 30's.

Interestingly, many people who never had a problem suddenly experience Winter Blues in middle age. Winter Blues also seems to afflict more men than women in their mid 50's - 60's. One reason for the sudden onset of Winter Blues is because our body clocks are constantly changing. As we age, our body clocks tend to cause sleep and mood problems that are different than early age Winter Blues. Those who experience Winter Blues later in life find that their body clocks speed up, causing them to feel down earlier in the afternoon and evening. They often awaken too early and feel best during the morning.

Time of Year

Does the time of year I get Winter Blues have anything to do with severity? Yes, many people who've struggled for years notice that their symptoms occur earlier over time. This why it is important to use the mood tracker so you can better anticipate when Winter Blues will flare up, so you can start using your light preventatively.

If you don't know the best time of year to start using your light, use Halloween or Daylight Saving Time as your starting point. This is when most people complain or notice problems. For some, the season starts early and ends late, but for most others, if it starts early, it will probably end early as well. For example, a large group of Winter Blues patients notice the onset of symptoms in September and start feeling better by mid February. Conversely, February can be the worst month for some, and they wont feel better until May. The vast majority of people though, need to use their light from October through March or April.