Winter is tough for me. Unlike Dresden, who loves the cold, I seem to keep moving south to reduce the time I spend shivering. My loathing of winter is well documented. I’m from the New York City area originally, but was once introduced by a friend as “Lindsay from Boca”. Don’t get me wrong, I love the beauty of a nice heavy snowfall. Running in winter temperatures is certainly easier than the taxing 90-degree summer runs. But day after day of seemingly endless gray and darkness is a killer on my mood.
Do I have seasonal affective disorder (SAD)? Depending on where one lives in the US, it’s been said that around 9% of the population can experience true SAD, while more suffer from a less severe form. I get cranky when it’s simply too cold to go out for long periods of time, so it’s certainly possible.
So when springtime begins to poke it’s head out, like the crocuses that brighten my yard, I do a dance of joy. Add in the longer daylight savings time period enacted a few years ago, and I’m in heaven. Why, then, do I always seem to get more lethargic, more moody right when I want to be celebrating most? For the last month, I’ve needed my regular 7-8 hours of sleep a night, plus a nap for an hour or two when my son naps. I find myself stewing about little things that I normally brush off with ease.
Recently, the New York Times published a brief article linking allergies to depression, and it all came together. Thanks to tree pollen, dust mites from spring cleaning, and other various allergies, I’m in a funk. I’ve got low serotonin to begin with, and it appears that the chemical reactions involved in allergies, probably lower that level further. Additionally, being congested makes it harder to breathe, especially at night. That it turn makes my sleep less restful, carrying over into the next day, and so on.
What’s a girl to do? For one, I’m trying to be more mindful about taking my OTC allergy medication. I’m also making sure to keep hydrated, and continuing to take naps when I need them. Down the road, I may visit an allergist, something I haven’t done since college. It feels better to know that there may be a medical reason for this transitional lethargy I experience year after year.
Do you get blue when the green leaves burst out? What helps you fight back? Talk about it in the comments, while I go enjoy some of that warm sun outside.
