By Veronica Beltran

Is the gloomy weather making you sad?

TYH: Does the gloomy weather have you feeling down?

Jul 24, 2019 | 9:29 AM

Has the weather got you down? I can’t be the only one who’s felt like summer hasn’t really felt like summer yet and it might be because of the clouds, and rain…and stormy weather.

If that is the case, it is totally okay, because you are most likely not alone! I spoke to Mary Lu Spagrud the Manager of Education and Projects at the Canadian Mental Health Association in PG and she says that mood changes, affected by weather are completely normal.

When the clouds are covering the earth’s natural vitamin D, it can be hard to produce serotonin in our bodies, and the “blues” can be a natural side effect. Spagrud says that serotonin is the bodies natural anti-depressant, which is produced through vitamin D. “Sunshine is a way that our body can naturally produce serotonin levels, and serotonin is one of those feel good chemicals in our brains. So when we have those bright sunny days we get more serotonin and then we feel better, we feel more happy, we have more energy,” she said.

Spagrud also mentioned that it is important to know the difference between just having the “blues” and possibly having something more serious. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is more serious form of the blues, which Spagrud says would need to be treated differently.

There are ways to keep the blues at bay, according to Spagrud. Things such as mood lamps, taking more vitamin D supplements if needed and getting out, even though you may not want to, are all part of making your own happiness when the weather is icky. “Get out, get moving, connect with other people and do something that you enjoy. Make your own happiness, don’t rely on the sunshine for it,” she said in an on camera interview.

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According to Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal, a Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine, six percent of the US population, primarily in Northern climates, is affected by SAD with another 14 percent saying they suffer from a lesser form of seasonal mood changes.

Spagrud wants to remind people to speak with their doctors if they think they might have SAD.