Ben Spinks works at the Tipp City Veterinary Hospital and Wellness Center. He said over time these dreary days of winter get him down.
“Sometimes in the winter you wake up and it’s overcast for yet another day in a row and you’re not outside because it’s so cold,” said Spinks. “It definitely adds up over the long run.”
This time of year does wear on many people.
“Something about going to work in the dark and almost coming home in the dark does shorten the day up quite a bit,” said Denny Horstman from Tipp City.
It’s bad, “especially when it’s cloudy and dreary. It’s better when the sun’s shunning, but it’s still too cold to go outside and walk,” said Norma Reineke from Tipp City.
Clinical health psychologist Anne Dobmeyer said these feelings are normal. However, some experience more serious winter depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.
“Seasonal Affective Disorder is a mood disorder that people may experience each year in the fall and winter months,” said Dobmeyer.
According to the Ohio Psychological Association symptoms include, depressed mood, lack of motivation, lack of energy, lack of concentration, fatigue and an increased appetite.
The most likely cause for all this is the shorter daylight hours during the late fall and winter months.
More darkness means your body produces more melatonin, which is a chemical the human body produces naturally when it’s dark outside to induce sleep, according to Doctors.
“We also know that serotonin, which is a neuro-chemical may be produced in smaller amounts during the winter months due to decreased light exposure,” said Dobmeyer.
Research has shown that exposure to light often helps SAD sufferers. Natural sunlight is best, but during the cold, cloudy days of winter that’s not always possible.
That’s why psychologists recommend light box therapy.
“Typically what that involves is a person getting a light box, which they would spend maybe 30 to 60 minutes a day sitting in front of the box,” said Dobmeyer.
Not everyone has that much time to devote, which is why lighting expert Chris LeVeck said a full spectrum light bulb can help brighten your mood.
“As much as it can, an artificial light bulb is trying to produce that artificial sunlight that you’re used to in the summertime, “said LeVeck.
When Spinks heard about these lights, he installed them in his office.
“I think it increases the energy level, in the sense that we don’t have the blahs,” said Spinks.
Jim Mithias, a veterinarian and owner of the Tipp City Veterinary Hospital and Wellness Center, said he is pleased with the results.
“It’s an environment that we spend a lot of time in, and it just seems to be more pleasant with the lights,” said Mithias.
He said even the animals seem happier.
However, Dobmeyer cautions that full spectrum lights only help about 50 percent of SAD sufferers.
“If that is something that an individual tried and they’re not getting the benefit, then usually adding another form of treatment would be indicated,” said Dobmeyer.
For Spinks and others at the Tipp City Veterinary Hospital and Wellness Center, the full spectrum lights at work, and at home, are just what the doctor ordered to kick the winter blues.
The full spectrum lights typically help those with mild winter depression, or just the winter blues. However for those with the more serious Seasonal Affective Disorder, Dobmeyer says people may need psychotherapy, behavioral therapy or antidepressants.