A typical Minnesota winter day is canopied in drab gray sky that turns black by 6 p.m.
On a less typical sunny winter day, students studying, busy on their laptops or chatting with friends occupy every seat in the Kryzsko Commons solarium. Perhaps they are there to soak in the solar heat streaming through the three walls of glass, or perhaps the sunlight is giving them an extra dose of happiness to overcome those wintertime blues.
It’s a fact: sunlight light makes people happy. The light affects the receptors in the brain that produce serotonin, a chemical that helps put people in a good mood.
Feeling sad during winter is common, but for over six percent of the population, wintertime blues are more severe and take the form of a mood disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD.
SAD symptoms closely resemble that of a major depression and have a correlation with the onset of the change of season.
According to Eunie Alsaker, a counselor at Winona State’s Student Counseling Center, symptoms of SAD include a lack of energy, an increased number of hours sleeping, an increase in appetite, weight gain and a decreased interest in activity.
There are ways to counter these symptoms.
Alsaker says the primary treatment for SAD is light therapy. A couple years ago, Winona State purchased light boxes for the Student Counseling Center and for Student Health Services to benefit students diagnosed with SAD.
The light box looks like a 14-inch long by 12-inch deep box with woken sides and a plastic front. At the Counseling Center, it is kept in a room with round wooden tables, chairs and bookshelves. Students with SAD who have been seeing a counselor can go into the room, set the light box on a table, turn it on and sit or study in front of the light for 15 minutes to a half-hour while the light box provides full spectrum light that mimics the light from the sun.
Light boxes can be purchased on the Internet starting at $250. Alsaker said the light box in the Counseling Center is used by some students every day, but it isn’t used a lot because some students have their own personal light boxes.
Students using the light box should be cautioned of side effects. Side effects listed on the Mayo Clinic’s website include eyestrain, headache, agitation, nausea, insomnia, irritability, fatigue, dry mouth and sleep disruptions.
Other treatments for the symptoms of SAD suggested by the National Mental Health Association include spending time outdoors and rearranging your home or workspace to receive more sunlight.
Alsaker says getting no more than ten hours of sleep at night, not taking naps during the day, and cutting down on caffeine and simple sugars are also things a person with SAD should do.
“Get outside, even if it’s gloomy, it helps,” she said.
Counselors at the Student Counseling Center are always willing to talk to students struggling with wintertime blues. The Counseling Center is a free service open to all students. They are located in 132 Gildemeister Hall and can be reached at 507-457-5330.

Questions or comments?
Contact Lydia at
LCOglesb3075@winona.edu