BEATING THE WINTER BLUES

By Alex Acevedo

It’s the middle of January. You’re still reeling from the chaos of a busy holiday season. Temperatures haven’t climbed above 30 degrees for weeks, and the color outside has alternated between gray and black for what seems like an eternity. Winter has sunk its claws in like a house cat trying to escape a veterinary appointment. Your only thoughts seem to revolve around carbheavy meals and sleep. Sound familiar?

For many Ohioans, winter is a four letter word that has about the same favorability rating as tax season. For lupus patients, it can be particularly challenging as the constant cold wreaks havoc on your bodies. As blood vessels constrict to combat heat loss, pressure begins to build in the head, joints, and other extremities. The increased pressure causes circulation to slow, and the associated lack of oxygen begins to cause pain & discomfort. A flare ensues. The prolonged lack of daylight combined with constant flare worthy weather means that lupus patients are much more likely to be affected by things like the ‘winter blues,’ or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Fortunately, a plethora of research & studies over several decades have found proven ways to help combat them.

The first thing you will want to determine is if you’re experiencing a common case of ‘winter blues’ or if it is something more prolonged like seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or depression. Your medical team is the only one who can accurately make that determination. Sharing things like symptoms, their duration, and other lifestyle factors will help the experts make that determination.

“Winter blues’ is a general term, not a medical diagnosis. It’s fairly common, and it’s more mild than serious. It usually clears up on its own in a fairly short amount of time,” says Dr. Matthew Rudorfer, a mental health expert at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additionally, winter blues are often linked to a specific event like stressful holidays or reminders of loved ones who have passed. “Seasonal affective disorder, though, is different. It’s a well-defined clinical diagnosis that’s related to the shortening of daylight hours,” says Rudorfer. “It interferes with daily functioning over a significant period of time.” A key difference with SAD, is that it is consistent and follows a pattern with onset usually occurring when the seasons change and symptoms remaining until spring or summer. If a physician or clinician determines that you have SAD, they may prescribe medication depending on the severity of your symptoms.

Whether you’re experiencing ‘winter blues’ or are diagnosed with SAD, there are things you can do on your own to combat both under the guidance of your medical team.

Embrace It

In 2015, researcher Kari Leibowitz spent a year in Tromso, Norway. This area is famous for its extreme periods of light and dark throughout the year which includes a 2.5 month period called the Polar Night in which the sun does not rise at all. She was amazed to find that even though it is dark for 75 days straight, people in Tromso experience extremely low rates of seasonal depression or mood disorders. “I started realizing how much I had brought my own American conception of winter into this research study.

I just sort of assumed that the Polar Night would be miserable and would be a time that was really hard for people,” Leibowitz said.” But when I talk to people in Norway about it, they really liked the Polar Night.” What she discovered through her research was that since the Polar Night is such a celebrated and looked forward to time of year, peoples’ mindset towards it was inherently positive. She was able to correlate this positive mindset to the lower rates of seasonal mood disorders, and has since conducted studies in other winter climates which produced similar findings. “People who had a positive winter mindset were also more likely to have high life satisfaction, experience more positive emotions, be psychologically flourishing, and sort of pursue the kinds of challenges that lead to personal growth,” Leibowitz said.

Rise And Shine

No, you don’t need to wake up at 5am, unless that makes you happy-then by all means do it! This is actually about waking up and going for a walk to get some light in your eyes. Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University, has conducted many studies regarding forward movement and its impact on the brain. He found that when you take a walk and allow sunlight in your eyes your body achieves a state of “optic flow.” This optic flow helps quiet neural activity in the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that processes anxiety, fear, and threat detection. The activity and sunlight also give you a bolus of cortisol which will help jump start immune, metabolic, and hormonal processes throughout your body which promote healthy and natural function. It is important to kick start these functions earlier in the day so that your body’s clock stays consistent and appropriate. So wake up, layer up, and enjoy that morning sun for 10-20 minutes. Bring a nice cup of coffee or another hot beverage to help keep you warm!

Move To The Beat

Do you dread mundane tasks like doing dishes, laundry, or organizing clutter? You should try turning on your favorite artist or band beforehand. Research has shown that listening to music can help improve mood and promote happiness. This may be due to the fact that music activates our reward and pleasure systems in the brain much like food, drugs, and sex do. Although further research needs to be done, data has shown music has a positive impact on everything from immune function, blood pressure, heart rate, stress levels, and even surgical recovery times! In fact, a 2013 study on fibromyalgia patients found that patients who listened to music once a day for more than 30 minutes experienced a significant drop in pain and depression symptoms after 4 weeks compared to the control group. Put in headphones or turn the speakers on and turn it up, lupians!

Celebrate The Slow Down

As Ohioans, we are forced to take advantage of the seemingly brief period of pleasant weather that nature allots us. This usually results in quite a hectic social schedule starting in May and generally extending right through into the holiday season. So chances are, you’ve been quite busy for the last 6 months or so. The good thing that winter naturally provides us is a break! People tend to stay in more and are less willing to want to venture out socially. While it’s never a healthy idea to isolate completely, you can and should take advantage of this time to recharge your social battery and gear up for spring

& summer. Take advantage of the extra “me time” by catching up on the hobbies you love and have likely been neglecting over the past several months. Read some books, try out new recipes in the kitchen, learn a new skill, or just take time to focus on your health and implement healthy habits. Stress management is important for everyone but even more so for lupians. The built in “pause” that Ohio grants us during the winter may be just what your body needs to get back on track!

We can’t avoid winter in Ohio, but we can all learn to adjust to it and still thrive. Lupus warriors are masters at adapting and overcoming. Use some of these tips and implement them this winter to remain positive and on track in your journey. These are just a few examples; there are other ways to stay positive during the cold season. Try to find a good fit for you.

As always, please remember that you should involve your medical team whenever you are making any lifestyle changes to ensure they are a good fit for you. If you are feeling hopeless or just generally down, please ask for help. Your doctors can help, family or friends can help, and we can help! Please reach out; hope is available.

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, please reach out to these resources:

National Mental Health Hotline - (866) 903-3787

Ohio Careline - (800) 720-9616

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - 988 For Lupus Patient Assistance and Support:

Lupus Foundation of America, Greater Ohio Chapter (440) 717-0183