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SAD Autumn blues :(

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Northerner

Northerner

Admin (Retired)
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
It's that time of year again, and I'm finding it almost impossible to lift my mood :( I really am not suited to dark mornings, particularly - I always wake early, but artificial light can't replace true daylight for me. Insulin requirements have also increased by 50% over the past week or so, from 14 to 21 units a day, no reason, same diet, same exercise etc. :(

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Oh heck, you need to find something to cheer you up, I favour bright sparkly nail polish but I expect that won't help you 😉

Have you tried one of those daylight boxes? They have scientific basis I promise. The light frequency is similar to daylight and thus stimulates serotonin. Also vitamin D can help (it helps with the neurochemicals too). I struggle a bit with the dark and cold, but I've found vitamin D helps, as does getting out as much as possible when daylight finally breaks. This is why despite being a cold soul I pray for a frosty crisp winter because there's more daylight!
 
Sorry to hear this Northener, I'm feeling the same too at the moment.
I do have a light box as KookyCat suggests, and it seems to help a bit.
Definitely worth a try... or sparkly nail polish. Pink I think!
 
I've felt it myself as I do every Autumn. Christmas seems to be the climax and as soon as that depressing time of the year is out of the way I start to cheer up. In the meantime I try to keep busy, I'm currently in the process of buy a push bike and also trying to work out several bike routes where I'm less likely to get killed. In my 30s I used to cycle 150 miles a week out of necessity, having bought a flat and sold the car because I couldn't have both. The benefit being, so I'm told, that as I'm no stranger to exercise, it shouldn't be difficult now. Reality isn't currently matching theory, but at least with the bike I know I'll enjoy the open air and the countryside (I live on the outskirts of High Wycombe). Sorry, enough about me.

My MIL tells me that the ight box I bought her for Christmas is "marvelous" and trust me, I rarely get praise from the MIL. I feel better on sunny days so lets pray for some good weather over the winter. Take care.
 
I don't like this time of year too!
I am not walking as far as I used because my dog is not able too! I try to walk to my local shops but then I am tempted to buy things I should not! Less to do in the garden too!
 
My daughter swears by her light box too. Got her through the dark Scottish winter last year. I'm OK as long as there's some sunshine. I find myself choosing walking routes that stay up in the open on the ridges, not down in the woods or valleys here.Weeks of cloud and gloom see me off.
 
Sorry to hear that so many of you are feeling down. I think as Ive done many years of shift work the seasons dont realy affect me. I love all the colours etc at this time of year.
 
I did shift work for nearly 40 years but I still struggle in the autumn and winter!
 
I would say that this is exactly the time when most people start to see a change in their insulin requirements, but I'm wondering actually whether you might have a low-level infection? That could account for the low mood and the dramatic increase in requirements. Hope you'll be feeling better soon - I know it's very hard to deal with low mood.
 
I'm in the same situation always need more insulin and moods very black 🙂 I have found over the years extra Vit D does help no end, it's not a magic cure but does help.
 
I
graj0 said:
I've felt it myself as I do every Autumn. Christmas seems to be the climax and as soon as that depressing time of the year is out of the way I start to cheer up. In the meantime I try to keep busy, I'm currently in the process of buy a push bike and also trying to work out several bike routes where I'm less likely to get killed. In my 30s I used to cycle 150 miles a week out of necessity, having bought a flat and sold the car because I couldn't have both. The benefit being, so I'm told, that as I'm no stranger to exercise, it shouldn't be difficult now. Reality isn't currently matching theory, but at least with the bike I know I'll enjoy the open air and the countryside (I live on the outskirts of High Wycombe). Sorry, enough about me.

My MIL tells me that the ight box I bought her for Christmas is "marvelous" and trust me, I rarely get praise from the MIL. I feel better on sunny days so lets pray for some good weather over the winter. Take care.
Click to expand...
I bought my MIL a chair, but she still hasn't switched it on
 
Sending virtual hugs your way northerner.... Remember it's only temporary .... Once we get to the other side of the new year things will start to brighten up a bit 🙂
 
Same here Alan, and it'll be worse after the clocks go back (though we will get a couple of weeks of lighter mornings). It's cheeky of me to offer advice since I don't always follow this myself, but it's absolutely essential to get outside in the fresh air and daylight (how ever little there is) each day. It's great that you're self motivated enough to go out running first thing, but if it's dark when you run, you'll need to try and get outside in the middle of the day too. Or emigrate to the Caribbean 😉
 
P.S. Insulin requirements and autoimmune illnesses are thought to have a connection to sunlight levels. The rates of type 1 are higher in countries at northern latitudes, e.g. Scandinavia and Canada, and at more southerly latitudes there is an anomalous high rate of type 1 in Saudi Arabia, where the hypothesis is that the population cover themselves from head to toe so their skin gets no sunlight.
 
Oh I do love autumn and winter, the darkness helps me sleep better, you get to wear nice cosy clothes, sit in front of the fire, snuggle up to the dogs.
 
I'm sorry this time of the year gives you the blues northerner. I'm a lot like Owen in my attitude towards it...I actually love the cold, crispness and comfy feeling of darkness. It's probably because I don't really care for hot weather.
 
What an interesting thread. I like cold weather and being bundled up in winter woolies, but it hadn't occurred to me that the changing light levels could affect BG. Having coasted along for quite some time with no great difficulty...the past few days I've really struggled to control an urge to binge. Late last night I explored the possibilities. There are very few in my kitchen as I try not to put temptation in my own way. However, I'd bought a tin of condensed milk to make some clotted cream fudge for a friend's birthday and was on the verge of opening it and eating the contents with a spoon. Fortunately, I managed to resist, but it was a very close call. I'm relieved that there's a reason why I'm feeling this way. I thought I was losing the plot. 🙄
 
I don't really mind the winter dark up here in the north, but the lack of sunlight does indeed affect the body. The incidence of MS is almost twice as high in Scotland as in England. If lack of sunlight can do that, I can well believe it can affect BG and insulin or medication requirements.

The reason I like it is that I notice the daylight changes much more easily up here, and the lengthening days after the winter solstice are uplifting.

PS The lack of sunlight also increases the alcohol requirement, I find. This is my first winter without.:confused:
 
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