How to Help Seasonal Depression: A Guide for Older Adults

As winter draws closer, you might already notice the sun setting earlier each day and feeling that familiar chill in the air. While the colder months bring with them plenty of festive celebrations and cosy evenings under a blanket, they’re not a welcome sight for everyone.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can start to rear its head the older we get, meaning the longer nights and drop in temperatures can bring a sense of sadness, lethargy, and social isolation rather than seasonal cheer.

In this guide, we’ll help you understand what causes these feelings and offer practical tips for avoiding the ‘winter blues’ this year.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – also known as seasonal depression or simply the ‘winter blues’ – is a type of temporary depression that follows a seasonal pattern. 

If you feel unusually sad or tired during certain times of the year, even when you’re getting a good night’s sleep, you might be experiencing SAD. It’s more than just feeling down about the change in weather; it’s a legitimate mental health condition that can have a significant impact on your daily life and wellbeing.

The key difference between SAD and regular depression is timing. While depression can appear at any point throughout the year, Seasonal Affective Disorder is specifically brought on by seasonal changes like plummeting temperatures, low light, and shorter days. For most people, symptoms ease or disappear completely once the seasons shift again.

 When does Seasonal Affective Disorder start?

While Seasonal Affective Disorder can technically also affect you in the spring, summer, or autumn, it’s far more common in winter.

In the UK, most people start noticing symptoms around late October when the clocks go back, and the evenings suddenly feel much darker. However, some may feel a shift in their mood as early as mid-September, when the days start getting shorter and the sun sets earlier each evening. The symptoms generally continue throughout the winter and start to ease up as spring approaches.

How common is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

If you’re experiencing seasonal depression, you’re not alone.

Around 3 in 100 people in the UK have full Seasonal Affective Disorder, while roughly 13 in 100 experience a milder version known as the ‘winter blues’. Adding these together means about two million people across the country are dealing with some form of season-related low mood. In fact, it’s estimated that 20% of people will experience this sometime in their later years.

Interestingly, not everyone is affected to the same extent. Women are four times more likely to experience SAD than men, and for many, the symptoms first start to appear when you’re in your late teens to early thirties and become more prominent over time. 

Unfortunately, there’s also another factor that makes seasonal depression more common with age: general depression is 20% more prevalent in people living with conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia. Since these conditions also tend to be more common as we get older, seasonal depression appears more frequently in later life.

What causes seasonal depression in the elderly?

There are plenty of reasons why older adults are more at risk of experiencing seasonal depression during the winter months. Let’s look at some of the most common causes.

More time indoors

When the weather turns cold and the days get shorter, it’s natural to want to spend more time inside. However, this can be challenging for older adults – especially those living alone. For many of us, most of our social life happens outside the home, like meeting friends for coffee, popping to the shops, or attending community groups. When you’re staying indoors more often, those opportunities can slip away, leading to feeling isolated.

This can be made worse if you’re finding it difficult to navigate your home. If stairs have become a barrier or you’re reliant on a wheelchair, you might feel restricted to just one floor of your house. In these situations, getting outdoors can give you a sense of freedom that’s difficult to replicate inside. This is where installing a home lift can help, giving you easy access to every part of your home and removing the stress of climbing the stairs.

There’s a physical impact, too. Spending more time indoors means you’re absorbing less vitamin D from the sun, and our bodies naturally become less efficient at producing this as we get older. Low vitamin D levels can leave you feeling fatigued and run down, even if you’ve had plenty of sleep. It’s a bit of a vicious cycle – you feel tired, which makes you want to stay inside, making you feel even more tired.

Darker mornings and evenings

When the clocks go back and the nights arrive much earlier, the lack of natural light can have a significant effect on both your mood and energy levels. Those darker mornings can make it difficult to feel fully awake, while the sun setting at 4pm means you spend most of your evening in the dark. Our bodies are naturally programmed to respond to light; when there’s less of it, we can feel more lethargic and slow.

This is particularly true if you spend time indoors without access to good lighting. Dim rooms on dark winter evenings can make you feel worse, causing everything to seem a bit gloomier. But it’s more than just emotions – it’s biology.

The reduced daylight also disrupts our internal body clock, reducing the production of serotonin (commonly known as the ‘happiness hormone’) and making our mood less regulated. The lack of daylight also means we create more melatonin (which controls our sleep patterns), which might mean you feel restless at night and more tired during the day.

Feeling cold more often

Temperature plays a bigger role in seasonal depression than many people realise. For older adults living on pension savings, heating costs can be a real worry, especially with energy prices constantly creeping up. Many people keep the thermostat lower than they’d like, spending a lot of the winter feeling uncomfortably cold.

If you’re living with conditions like arthritis, the cold isn’t just unpleasant; it can be genuinely painful. Cold weather can make joints stiffer and harder to move, which in turn limits your mobility and makes you less likely to get up and leave the house.

Boredom

So many of the activities that bring older adults joy during the warmer months become more difficult when winter arrives. Going for a walk in the park, tending to your garden, watching birds, or playing a round of bowls can all feel out of reach when it’s cold and dreary outside. Without these activities to look forward to, the days can start to feel repetitive, and boredom can quickly turn into low mood or fatigue.

This is where spending time with family, particularly grandchildren, can be a lifeline. Children have a wonderful way of keeping you busy and introducing you to activities you might not have thought of alone. Whether it’s baking together, doing arts and crafts, or simply playing board games, these moments can bring energy to the darker months.

 Signs of seasonal depression in older adults

There are several symptoms that might suggest you’re struggling with seasonal depression or the ‘winter blues’, and they’re not always what you might expect. It’s worth familiarising yourself with these signs so you can recognise them either in yourself or in those around you.

According to the NHS, these are some of the most common signs to look out for:

• Constant low mood – Feeling down or sad most of the time, especially during the day
• Disinterest in everyday activities – Things you usually enjoy, like hobbies or seeing friends, suddenly don’t appeal to you anymore
• Feelings of irritability, despair, anxiousness, and worthlessness – You might find yourself snapping at people more easily or feeling hopeless about the future
• Low self-esteem – Doubting yourself or feeling like you’re not good enough
• Tearfulness – Finding yourself crying more often, sometimes without reason
• Becoming less sociable – Withdrawing from friends and family, turning down invitations, or avoiding phone calls
• Loss of appetite – Not feeling hungry or interested in food, even meals you’d normally look forward to

If you’re experiencing several of these symptoms, especially if they seem to appear at specific times of year or get worse as the seasons change, it’s worth speaking to your GP. Seasonal depression is a real condition, and there’s no shame in seeking help.

How to help seasonal depression

Having seasonal depression can make the winter months feel scary and challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. There are plenty of practical steps you can take to help reduce the negative feelings that come with this time of year.

We’ve pulled together five ways to make winter feel a little brighter:

1. Stay connected with loved ones

Staying connected with friends and family is vital at any time, but it’s crucial during the winter months when we naturally tend to ‘hibernate’ indoors. Whether it’s getting together for a cup of tea and a chat around the kitchen table or meeting up for a short walk through the local park, it’s crucial to keep your social life as active as possible.

Even if you don’t feel like physically meeting other people, a phone call or video chat can help in the same way. Spending 30 minutes catching up with a friend or seeing your grandchildren’s faces on a screen can lift your spirits more than you’d think.

2. Spend time outdoors where possible

Getting outside is one of the best things you can do for your wellbeing during the winter, even if it’s just for an hour a day. Our bodies absorb vitamin D from sunlight, which is crucial for keeping bones and joints in good condition, and we can only take in vitamin D when we’re actually outdoors and exposed to it.

Fresh air is vital for keeping healthy too – it helps clear your head, improves your mood, and gives you a change of scenery.

Winter walks don’t have to be long or strenuous. A gentle stroll around the block or sitting on a bench still counts. It’s also a great opportunity to do some light exercise to keep you fit and active. Just make sure you bundle up in warm layers.

3. Keep blinds and curtains open

This one’s simple but surprisingly effective. During the winter, when natural light is already in short supply, it’s important to make the most of every ray of sunshine that comes through your windows. Keep your blinds and curtains open during the day to let as much natural light into your home as possible.

4. Invest in a lightbox

If you’re unable to get out of the house much, or if you live in a property that doesn’t receive much natural sunlight during the day, a lightbox is a great way to boost your mood. These devices are a type of lamp that mimics natural sunlight to help counteract the emotional effects of reduced daylight hours.

Lightboxes provide bright light therapy in the form of visible, non-UV light, which regulates your energy levels by reducing the amount of melatonin you produce and combats feelings of sadness and low mood. You typically use them for around 30 minutes to an hour each morning, and many people find they make a noticeable difference to how they feel during the darker months. 

They’re available online and come in a wide range of designs to blend in with your home decor, and while they’re a moderate investment, they can be well worth it if seasonal depression is something you struggle with year after year.

5. Take Vitamin D supplements

There’s a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and seasonal depression, so supplements can be a helpful way to boost your intake if you’re struggling to get outside regularly. Vitamin D helps support your immune system, bone health, and mood, meaning it’s important to make sure you’re still getting enough of it during winter.

That said, it’s recommended to check in with your doctor before taking supplements. While vitamin D is generally safe, accidentally taking too much can actually cause problems when it comes to your health. An excess can lead to a buildup of calcium in the body, known as hypercalcaemia, which can weaken your bones and put extra pressure on your kidneys. Your GP can advise you on the right dosage and make sure you’re staying safe.

What should I do if I’m still struggling?

If you’re still finding it difficult to get up and about during the winter months, or you’re experiencing severe bouts of low mood that don’t seem to be getting better, you can contact a UK-based mental health helpline using one of the methods below:

• Call Mind’s support line on 0300 102 1234
• Speak to the Samaritans 24/7, any day of the week on 116 123 (free from any phone)
• For evening calls, reach out to SANEline on 0300 304 7000 (from 4.30pm-10pm)
• Chat to the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight), or use their online chatbot

These services are here to listen and offer support, and there’s no shame in using them.

Enjoy every season with Stiltz

Seasonal depression can make winter feel daunting, but being clued up can help you look forward to the colder months.

If struggling to get around your home is adding to your woes, a Stiltz home lift can help. Explore our full range today – including our wheelchair-friendly Trio and standard Duo – giving you easy access to every floor.

Get in touch to find out more, or take a look at our blog for tips on ageing comfortably at home.