Cold weather rolled into Iowa weeks early this fall and lingered, forcing many people indoors much sooner than usual. Kevin Gabbert, a social worker and counselor at the Iowa Department of Public Health, says being deprived of exposure to the sun can bring on the blues and make people feel moody and lethargic. Gabbert says the early onset of winter -may- bring an uptick in cases of SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder.
On the plus side, Gabbert says a little counseling can go a long ways for SAD sufferers.
Also, light therapy or phototherapy could be very helpful as well.” Dr. David Towle (TOLL), a Cedar Falls psychologist and director of the University of Northern Iowa Counseling Center, says light therapy is a simple solution that really helps some people get through the Midwestern winter.
Studies find that between ten and 20-percent of Americans report feeling tired or sad when there are fewer hours of daylight during the winter months.
