AUSTIN, Texas — Summer is here, but it isn't a party for everyone. The hot, bright, long days turn many grumpy, and some even struggle with what some psychologist call "summer depression."
The sun can impact your physical well-being but also your mental health.
Dr. Thomas Kim with the Texas Medical Association's Council on Science and Public Health said those feeling of sadness have to do with more than the temperatures outside, but he admits intense heat can be draining.
"If you're out in the heat all of the time, it 100% saps all of your energy," Kim said. "As a result, your interest and motivation to do anything other than to crawl into a, you know, an air-conditioned, dark space so that you're not simply sweating [is gone]."
Seasonal affective disorder, sometimes abbreviated as SAD, is a type of depression related to changes in season. While symptoms usually start in the fall and resolve by the spring and summer months, some people could also experience symptoms specific to summer-onset seasonal affective disorder. This is sometimes called summer depression, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Symptoms include:
- Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- Poor appetite
- Weight loss
- Agitation or anxiety
- Increased irritability
"Most people speculate is that there is a serotonin or even a melatonin disruption, and it's tied to sort of the time of year that it occurs," Kim said. "But there are still others that aren't quite convinced that this is a discrete phenomenon. So it's not to say that the challenges that people experience don't exist. They do."
While the heat can take a toll on your health, Kim said with the summer months, several factors also need to be taken into account.
"For folks who are struggling with their mental health in the summer, the things that I would point to are what changes have occurred," he said.
Summertime brings a lot of changes. If you're a student, changes in routine and being out of school could impact your mental health. As a parent, you could be taking on extra costs like paying for a babysitter or summer camp.
"The financial stress of summer time ... you know, electricity or fuel bills as a result of ... vacation expenses, camp fees, child care, as I mentioned before, that can add to the weight of it," Kimn said.
Some also might deal with body image issues. People get self-conscious about their bodies when they have to wear a bathing suit or less clothes to stay cool.
Ultimately, Kim said it's OK to not be OK.
"It's important for us to recognize that time for ourselves," he said. "Self-care, whether it's through mindfulness work, meditation work, whatever it is that works for you."
He also recommends maintaining a good sleep cycle, hydrating and trying to get some exercise in. These things will help you immensely.