Does Colder Weather Make Us Gain Weight?

Sounds strange, huh? Well…not really actually. As the temperature and the leaves start falling, don’t be surprised if people’s spirits do too. Although society does not take it seriously enough, Seasonal Depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder, also know as SAD, is very well real. Seasonal depression is a mood disorder that happens every year at the same time, usually starting in fall, worsening in winter, and ending in spring.

The disorder is more than just “the winter blues” due to its relatively severe symptoms. These symptoms include sadness, anxiety, irritability, a loss of interest in usual activities, inability to concentrate, extreme fatigue, lack of energy, increased need for sleep…and finally, an increase craving in food, especially carbohydrates, leading to a weight gain.

Trekking to class at Penn State in the winter is no easy task. Slipping on almost every side walk and getting a foot of snow with no classes cancelled is enough to make any student here a little mad and upset…but this does not necessarily mean we can self-diagnose ourselves with SAD. Approximately 500,000 United State citizens suffer from SAD, although a mild form of winter blues affects ten to twenty percent of people.

The interesting aspect of the disorder is that there is treatment and it does not involve moving to a sunnier location. Research shows the phototherapy, also known as bright light therapy, is an effective way to help decrease season affective disorder. This involves the patient to read, eat, etc in front of a device that uses UV lights covered by a plastic screen to block rays. Patients are likely to see progress within two to four days.

Daylight-H

In a study titled “Light Room Therapy Effective in Mild Forms of Seasonal Affective Disorder—a randomized controlled study” fifty-one participants participated in either light room therapy or a control group. They spent around two hours between 6 to 9 am. This procedure was done for two consecutive winters. The results agreed with the initial hypothesis that after ten days, winter depression was reduced by light room therapy. Participants were also brought back a month later for a check up and were still found with reduced depression.

Rondo_sad_light2

 

Sources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18053580

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/basics/definition/con-20021047

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/sad

5 thoughts on “Does Colder Weather Make Us Gain Weight?

  1. Madison Canter

    I really enjoyed your post! I think a large reason for weight gain in the winter is because people are cooped up in their houses and apartments with nothing to do. And I know that when I get bored, my main tendency is to eat. You’re research on phototherapy is very fascinating. We recently learned about this in my psychology class. My professor said that SAD is most common in the Nordic Countries, where they experience significantly less sunlight. In one small town, the suicide rate was so high that the government decided to mandate light therapy to all the residents. This study shows the effects of light therapy on females with SAD and Bulimia Nervosa. I find it interesting that many women with SAD have dysfunctional eating habits, as well.

  2. Hannah Elizabeth Boothman Post author

    I definitely believe that a third variable is definitely present here. I do not think winter causes weight gain, but i do believe that being trapped in our houses due to cold weather and holiday time causes weight gain. And this weight gain is definitely causing us to develop sadness or some sort of depression. I also want to further research more what these UV lights due in our brain to decrease depression. I noticed there were a lot of cartoons and pictures mocking the use of these lights and SAD as a whole.

  3. Alyssa Marie Gregory

    Interesting blog. I would like to see more information/research on the topic though to grasp a better understanding. With the topic if the winter makes us gain weight we have to also look at the human biological make up. Think back hundreds of years when obesity wasn’t a problem and people were healthy. We would walk places, be active, go out and kill animals for our food, and never just sit around to watch tv. We were active. During the winter it would be cold, therefore could it be that humans naturally are known to gain weight to prepare for the winter. Maybe we gain weight in hopes of preparing for a famine or in fear that we might not be able to go out and catch food as we could in the spring and summer and fall. Obviously in todays society that is not an issue but what if we are innately programmed to gain weight in these cold conditions? This also brings me to when Andrew would talk about z variables(confounding) and other things that might contribute to our findings. In this situation I believe our innate biological make up is the z variable in our winter weight gain. To find a solution to our over all problem of weight gain here are some winter foods that will help you avoid weight gain
    http://www.ivillage.com/30-winter-foods-help-you-lose-weight/4-b-418718

  4. Megan Margaret Moyer

    I have always been skeptical of this, especially because we’re trapped inside our houses in the winter. I think that a big part of this issue is that we don’t realize how much more we eat around the holidays. I’ve been guilty of eating to the point that I felt sick on Thanksgiving. I bake so much for Christmas and we all know how hard it is to resist dessert. Another key factor is that with all of the holidays, we’re so busy running around that we don’t make time for exercise. That’s why so many people look to New Years’ Resolutions to help them make a change. There are so many reasons that cause us to gain weight in colder weather.

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