Summertime sadness is real. While most of us are familiar with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) as a condition that affects people during the winter months, approximately 10% of people with SAD experience it in the summer. Known as reverse seasonal affective disorder, the condition often involves symptoms such as low energy levels, poor appetite, insomnia, agitation and irritability, feelings of hopelessness, and loss of interest or pleasure in activities. Summertime SAD symptoms may be mild or severe enough to cause disruptions to daily life. Every person is different, of course, and there is still much to be learned about reverse seasonal affective disorder, but research points to a number of potential triggers, including:
Changes in routine
If there’s one thing most of us can count on during the summer, it’s change. From school schedules and workflow to vacations and eating habits, summer often brings a disruption in our regular routines. While a break from routine can be beneficial, the lack of structure and predictability can trigger reverse seasonal affective disorder. Studies have shown that routine plays a significant role in managing symptoms of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, addiction, and other mental health conditions.
Shifting sleep habits
Routine changes often mean sleep changes, and the shift to summer hours can have an especially dramatic effect on sleep schedules. The longer summer sunlight hours and excess heat can make it more difficult to get sufficient sleep. And although excessive sleeping is usually a symptom of winter SAD, a lack of routine can lead to too much sleep in the summer as well. Whether summer causes you to sleep too much or not enough, disrupted sleep patterns can trigger symptoms of summertime seasonal affective disorder.
Travel stress
Summer vacations are usually planned with fun and relaxation in mind. But traveling can be stressful, both logistically and financially. Additionally, the lack of familiar support systems, disrupted routines, and unexpected circumstances involved in travel can trigger existing mental health conditions. People who suffer from reverse seasonal affective disorder may find that their summer travel experiences exacerbate feelings of agitation and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Heat stress
Summer heat isn’t for everyone. For some people, summer weather means utter misery. The heat disrupts sleep and causes all kinds of discomfort from sweat to frizzy hair to sticky clothes. When avoiding the heat means staying inside, it can cause a person to feel isolated and trapped. Not everyone who finds summer heat intolerable has summertime SAD, but the discomfort and isolation can trigger symptoms for those who suffer from it or other mental health conditions.
Expectations and social comparison
All you need to do is watch a few minutes of television commercials as summer approaches to understand that summer is supposed to be rip-roaring fun at all times. Those advertisements plus the narrow social media view of other people’s lives often lead to feelings of inadequacy. The combination of high expectations and social comparison can trigger feelings of loneliness and symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Clinical trials for depression and anxiety at Synergy Research Centers
Managing symptoms of depression or anxiety can be tricky, whether they’re triggered by the season or something else. If you’re struggling with a mental health condition such as major depression or generalized anxiety, you may benefit from participating in a clinical trial. Participation can help you learn more about your condition and yourself as well as giving you access to cutting edge treatments not yet available to the general public. At Synergy Research Centers in San Diego, we’re currently enrolling participants in clinical trials for a wide range of different mental and physical health conditions, including anxiety and depression. For more information on our studies or to find out if you’re eligible, fill out our contact form or give us a call at 858-539-0282 today.