It’s nearly five months since we relocated back to the UK from Singapore, and the household is now edging its way into its first winter in five years. The dropping temperatures and frequent storms are so far manageable (although I’d forgotten there were so many different types of rain in Wales) but the change in light exposure does take some getting used to.
Being near the equator, sunrise and sunset in Singapore were at the same time every day, year-round. In Wales, however, daylight ranges from over seventeen hours in the summer to about seven and a half hours in winter. Over the last few weeks, this has become noticeable – with the sun now setting not long after the kids get home from school.
Seasonal affective disorder (which is brilliantly abbreviated to SAD) was never on my radar before Singapore. But in recent years, I’ve become far more cognizant of my own mental health – becoming particularly aware of my tendencies for depression and anxiety. These conditions affected me considerably in the past, but I learned to manage them through a combination of mindfulness and lifestyle changes that included reducing alcohol intake, increasing exercise, taking up writing, and moving to a rural setting.
I’m very interested in how changes to how we live our lives can affect physical and mental wellness. I attribute a large part of my own mental health challenges to unhealthy modern-day lifestyles – a combination of working and playing too hard. My psychotherapist wife would say that is merely the tip of the iceberg, but I won’t get into that now. One area I’ve been looking into recently is the role of the circadian rhythm in mental health. The circadian rhythm is the natural, internal clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle that repeats every twenty-four hours. This is a fairly hot topic in terms of research, and a disrupted circadian rhythm has been linked to several mood disorders – perhaps not necessarily causing them but certainly making them worse. Interestingly, targeting circadian rhythm with sleep deprivation may help ease symptoms of conditions such as depression. Various factors can help improve one’s circadian rhythm – these include having a routine, avoiding screen time in the evenings, drinking less alcohol, and getting a dose of bright light in the mornings.
The latter of these is something I’m working on, but it’s hard at this time of year when mornings are often dark and grim. I wouldn’t say the reduced daylight or colder season is affecting me vastly, although I have noticed changes in terms of mood and energy levels. And perhaps my wife and kids could speak more to the change in my mood. In the interest of science and experimentation, I have purchased a SAD lamp to see how a boost of bright light in the mornings might actually affect my daily well-being. Of course, my wife is sceptical and reckons there are more critical factors that have the potential for a greater impact on mood than a bulb. Who knows – she might yet see the light, but we’ll see…
