How to Beat the Winter Blues in Poughkeepsie Senior Living
You can learn how to beat the winter blues with dietary changes, exercise, and sunlight exposure. Applying these memory care mood boosters can improve your health and quality of life in Poughkeepsie, NY.
According to the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Healthy Minds Monthly poll, about 38% of Americans experience a declining mood during winter. About two-thirds of people polled noted behavioral changes, while one in five reported moodiness and loss of interest in activities. These symptoms may indicate you have the winter blues or seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Learning how to beat the winter blues can improve your mood and overall health while living in Poughkeepsie, NY. Not sure where to start? Read on for our tips on seasonal depression in seniors.
What Are the Winter Blues?
Seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression, while the winter blues are a mild version of SAD. People with the winter blues sometimes feel a little down during cold winter months. During this time, it gets dark earlier, meaning fewer hours of sunlight.
SAD is more than feeling a little down. It may affect how you feel and think. You may experience behavioral changes, which can affect your daily life and ability to function.
Consult a mental health professional if you experience symptoms of SAD, including:
- Feeling hopeless or worthless
- Anxiety
- Craving carbohydrates and sugar
- Weight gain
- Lack of energy/extreme fatigue
- Feeling depressed most of the day, almost daily
- Trouble concentrating or making decisions
- Feeling agitated or irritated
- Limbs feeling heavy
- Loss of interest in once pleasurable activities
- Social withdrawal
- Oversleeping
About 10 to 20% of people in America experience symptoms of the winter blues. Another 5% of adults in the US experience SAD.
What Causes the Winter Blues?
Seasonal affective disorder can last for four to five months each year. Though researchers aren't certain of the exact cause, it may be related to sunlight exposure.
People with winter-pattern SAD usually have reduced levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that helps regulate mood. Sun exposure helps the body create vitamin D, which aids serotonin production. The shorter daylight hours during the winter may contribute to vitamin D deficiency and lower serotonin levels, which may affect your mood.
The winter weather may alter your melatonin levels. Melatonin is a hormone that helps you maintain a consistent sleep-wake cycle. Getting less sunlight exposure may cause increased melatonin, which can cause sleepiness and fatigue.
How to Beat the Winter Blues
Learning how to beat the winter blues will allow you to take control of your mood and overall health. Here are our tips on winter wellness for aging adults.
Seek the Sun
Try to spend 15 to 30 minutes outside each morning.You can check your senior living community for a walking group.
Light exposure in the morning sends signals to the brain to help you maintain your circadian rhythm. This supports mood regulation.
Winter Wellness for Aging Adults
Check your senior living community's fitness program for indoor exercise classes. Exercise stimulates the production of dopamine and serotonin. These neurotransmitters influence mood regulation.
Exercise classes can include:
- Weight lifting
- Resistance training
- Tai chi
- Pilates
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Walking or hiking
Adjust Your Diet
Explore your senior living community's dining program for healthy, nutrient-dense dishes. Plant-based foods offer neuroprotective properties like antioxidants. They may support a good mood and improve your mental health.
Healthy whole foods include:
- Nuts and seeds
- Lentils and beans
- Fruits and vegetables
- Healthy fats
- Whole grains
- Lean proteins
Explore Poughkeepsie, NY Care
You can further improve your emotional health in senior living. The community's range of events and activities may act as natural memory care mood boosters. These may include:
- Bingo
- Tai chi
- Pilates
- Trivia
- Knitting or crocheting
- Movie night
- Book club
- Dancing
- Cooking
Engaging in activities with friends may uplift your mood and ease SAD symptoms. Maintaining friendships can give you a sense of purpose and belonging within your community. It can reduce feelings of social isolation and loneliness, which can otherwise affect your mental and physical health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is At Risk of SAD?
SAD is more common in:
- Women
- People ages 18 to 30
- People with relatives who have SAD or other forms of depression
- People who have another mood disorder (such as bipolar or major depressive disorder)
Where you live may increase your risk. There's less sunlight in latitudes far north or south of the equator, which may trigger symptoms.
For a diagnosis, you must have:
- Symptoms of major depression
- Episodes that occur more frequently in the winter than during other seasons
- Depressive episodes occurring in the winter for at least two consecutive years
Don't self-diagnose. Seek professional treatment before SAD affects your quality of life or ability to function.
What Are the Treatments for SAD?
Your mental healthcare provider may recommend a mix of treatments, including:
- Vitamin D supplements
- Light therapy
- Psychotherapy (talk therapy)
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Antidepressant medication
Light therapy is often the first line of defense for SAD. Treatment involves sitting in front of a device that emits 10,000 lux of light. This device can stimulate natural outdoor settings.
Getting light exposure may help the body stimulate vitamin D and serotonin production. These chemicals may help uplift your mood.
Light therapy is considered safe. However, people taking certain medications or patients with certain eye diseases may have increased sensitivity. Your healthcare provider may recommend another line of treatment.
CBT is a type of psychotherapy. It may help you recognize and manage your symptoms.
SAD is predictable. Your healthcare provider can help you take preventive measures before the onset of symptoms.
Prioritize Winter Wellness for Aging Adults
Don't let the winter weather influence your mental health. Instead, learn how to beat the winter blues using our effective strategies. Remember, you can find more help through your Poughkeepsie senior living community.
The Landing of Poughkeepsie Senior Living offers exceptional amenities and personalized care. Our customized Assisted Living and Memory Care are fit to meet your unique needs.
Enjoy homestyle, chef-prepared meals featuring the freshest ingredients, exercise programs, and themed parties through our events calendar, and on-site health and wellness programs. Contact us now to schedule a tour.