{"id":995,"date":"2013-10-31T23:06:01","date_gmt":"2013-10-31T23:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/?p=995"},"modified":"2014-07-14T10:10:54","modified_gmt":"2014-07-14T10:10:54","slug":"stop-the-clocks-from-changing-your-mood-for-the-worst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.holiday-weather.com\/news\/stop-the-clocks-from-changing-your-mood-for-the-worst\/","title":{"rendered":"Stop the clocks! (from changing your mood for the worst)"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s that time of year again…the clocks go back and daily life can feel a bit of a slog. We wake up, it\u2019s dreary, we get home, it\u2019s dark – joy\u2026We know it happens every year here in the UK<\/a> but it still renders many of us pretty miserable, so why does the changing of the clocks often make us slaves to the weather<\/a> and change our mood for the worst? And more importantly what can we do to combat our seasonal slump and grump?<\/p>\n

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Feeling sad?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that people experience at a particular time of year or during a particular season. Most of us are affected by the change in seasons \u2013 it is normal to feel more cheerful and energetic when the sun is shining and the days are longer, or to find that you eat more or sleep longer in winter. However, if you experience SAD, the change in seasons will have a much greater effect on your mood and energy levels, and lead to symptoms of depression that have a significant impact on your day-to-day life.<\/p>\n

Most people experience SAD during the winter. Less commonly, some people find that they experience SAD in reverse \u2013 with depressive symptoms occurring in summer. You are more likely to experience SAD if you live in a country where there are significant changes to daylight, temperature and weather between seasons.<\/p>\n

Because of this, SAD is more common in Scandinavia, Europe, North America, North Asia, and in southern parts of Australia<\/a> and South America. It\u2019s extremely rare to find people with symptoms of SAD living near the equator, where daylight hours are long and bright all year round. In northern Europe, it is estimated that about one in ten people experience some symptoms of SAD.<\/p>\n

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Spotting SAD symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you experience SAD symptoms for two or three years, you are likely to receive a diagnosis of SAD. There are many different symptoms of SAD, and you may experience some or all of the following:<\/p>\n