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Seasonal affective disorder symptoms include lethargy and increased appetite during wintry weather. Staying active physically and socially can lessen the winter blues.

Students affected by winter weather

Seasonal Affective Disorder can affect sleeping, eating patterns

By: SARAH KING

Posted: 1/29/07

Despite the random bouts of warm weather Athens has experienced, it is still hard not to notice winter's presence.

The trees are bare and the grass is brown, and everyone seems a bit more stressed as they rush to class to avoid the cold.

Elizabeth Norton, a sophomore from Carrollton, said that she feels "a little bit gloomy" during this time of year.

"I really don't want to do anything. It makes it hard to get out of bed because my bed is so warm," she said. "And walking to class is miserable. I'd much rather go to class in the summer than in the winter."

Norton is not the only one who feels this way. Alex Jackson, a junior from Austin, Texas, said she has a hard time motivating herself to go to class every day.

"Personally, I hate cold weather," she said. "I'm not used to Georgia winters; I'm used to Texas winters, which are so much shorter!"

These "winter blues," or feelings of mild depression, make us feel more tired and suffer a lack of energy when the months turn cold. Dr. Stephen Miller, a professor in the University's psychology department, said the effects are strictly seasonal, relating to environmental changes.

Miller categorizes winter blues as a "general lack of energy" where someone experiences "decreased motivation to do things, and an increase in eating habits."

Winter blues, however, is also a term used to describe a condition known as seasonal affective disorder, which is a syndrome of depressive symptoms that occur in the winter.

According to Dr. Philip V. Holmes, an associate professor in the Neuroscience and Behavior Program at the University, people with SAD "show depressed mood, motivational deficits and decreased energy."

Holmes said the condition is linked to the increased activity of melatonin, a hormone regulated by exposure to sunlight, "which is involved in regulating circadian rhythms such as sleep and waking cycles."

Although SAD is an extreme case of not wanting to brave the cold in the morning, the "winter blues" can get in the way of your daily routine. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to get motivated and stay active in Athens.

Take a class at Ramsey, join an intramural team or take a road trip to Atlanta with friends.

By simply taking a walk or getting coffee with friends, you are getting yourself motivated and out of the house. And whatever you choose to do to get yourself active, remember: Don't let the blues get you down.