In years gone by, this time of year we’d be reveling in the additional sunlight provided by daylight savings as we planted our strawberries and lilacs. But storms have been pummeling Los Angeles since January, with the most recent round of atmospheric rivers resulting in on-again, off-again precipitation and downpours.
And that has made typically sunshine-filled Southern California pretty sunlight deficit.
I suppose the moment is upon us, then, to accept that this rain isn’t a fluke or a one-off; it’s here to stay, at least for this season.
With that said, the gray, wet, and chilly weather might have you feeling down. For some people, those weather-related blues could lead to a more severe condition known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, which causes clinical depression tied directly to lack of sunlight.
According to experts, clinically diagnosable SAD is less likely to occur in climates like ours, even with the recent gloom, because it’s more often triggered by months of unrelenting gray days.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t happen and whether it’s clinically diagnosable or not, a lack of sunlight can cause SAD-like symptoms for some people.
What does SAD feel like?
“What’s similar in the two situations is the connection between the characteristics of the weather or the climate, and the psychological reaction to it,” said Lawrence A. Palinkas, a professor of social policy and health at USC who researches SAD.
Symptoms of SAD include low energy, sluggishness, problems with sleeping and carbohydrate cravings.
“Many of the symptoms that we experience are almost similar to hibernation,” said Palinkas.
How to…
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