Shedding Light on Winter Depression and ADHD
As sunlight dwindles in the winter months, people with ADHD are especially prone to feelings of sadness and winter depression. Discover how light therapy can help with seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Q: Do people with ADHD experience winter depression more often and more severely than do neurotypical individuals? Also, why is my quality of sleep affected in winter?
Winter depression is marked by two or more weeks of low mood, usually starting in the Northern Hemisphere’s fall or winter when there is less daylight, that resolves in the spring or summer when there is more light. There is an association between winter depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, and ADHD.
In the Netherlands, where I live, researchers asked 259 patients with ADHD about seasonal mood swings; 27% reported winter depression compared with 3% in neurotypical people.1 Other researchers have confirmed this increased rate among people with ADHD.2 What’s more, females are four times more likely than males to have winter depression.1
Sleep problems are also common among people with ADHD: About 80% are late sleepers3 , which means they have a short sleep duration — they fall asleep at a later time and sleep less because they must wake up for work or school.
Q : How does winter depression relate to screen addiction in children with ADHD?
Children with ADHD who are late sleepers and who experience winter depression may turn to video games and the Internet. Screens emit blue light, and they’re often held close to the eye, so the effects are similar to light therapy if you’re staring at them for a while.
[Get This Free Download: How to Sleep Better with ADHD]
Screen use at night can induce delayed circadian rhythms, disrupting your sleep-wake cycle.4 Many children with ADHD are already late sleepers, so using screens after 9:30 pm will delay their rhythm even more; this is not recommended. Keep in mind that when sleep gets delayed, mood is affected.
The good news is that winter depression and sleep problems can be easily and quickly treated with artificial light therapy. A 10,000-lux light therapy lamp can be used for 30 minutes a day for 5 to 20 consecutive days. The lamp, or light box, should be used at a close distance to your eyes; the distance is very important for the intensity of the treatment. It’s best to do this every day at the same time, preferably between 7 and 8 am, to reset your biological clock and alter the sleep-wake cycle.
You may also consider using light therapy glasses, which work in the same way as lamps. You can wear these for 30 minutes a day while you’re dressing or eating breakfast; in other words, without disrupting your routine.
Light therapy is a serious antidepressant that often unlocks better mood, improved sleep, and more energy.
[Read: How to Fall Asleep with a Rowdy, Racing ADHD Brain]
Q: Is vitamin D recommended for people with winter depression?
If your vitamin D is too low, then taking vitamin D is recommended. Vitamin D is generally low in people with ADHD, though we don’t know why.5 You get vitamin D from sunlight; in winter, when there is less light, you may need to take a supplement. Another way we can get vitamin D is by eating fatty fish, though many people don’t eat enough to affect levels.
Winter Depression: Next Steps
- Self-Test: Could You Have Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder?
- Read: 9 Sleep Deprivation Solutions for Adults with ADHD
- Read: 6 Tips to Overcoming Winter Depression
J.J. Sandra Kooij, M.D., Ph.D., is a psychiatrist and head of the Expertise Center Adult ADHD at PsyQ in the Netherlands.
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View Article Sources
1Amons, P. J., Kooij, J. J., Haffmans, P. M., Hoffman, T. O., & Hoencamp, E. (2006). Seasonality of mood disorders in adults with lifetime attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Journal of affective disorders, 91(2-3), 251–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2005.11.017
2Wynchank, D. S., Bijlenga, D., Lamers, F., Bron, T. I., Winthorst, W. H., Vogel, S. W., Penninx, B. W., Beekman, A. T., & Kooij, J. S. (2016). ADHD, circadian rhythms and seasonality. Journal of psychiatric research, 81, 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2016.06.018
3Van Veen, M. M., Kooij, J. J., Boonstra, A. M., Gordijn, M. C., & Van Someren, E. J. (2010). Delayed circadian rhythm in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and chronic sleep-onset insomnia. Biological psychiatry, 67(11), 1091–1096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.12.032
4Hartstein, L. E., Mathew, G. M., Reichenberger, D. A., Rodriguez, I., Allen, N., Chang, A. M., Chaput, J. P., Christakis, D. A., Garrison, M., Gooley, J. J., Koos, J. A., Van Den Bulck, J., Woods, H., Zeitzer, J. M., Dzierzewski, J. M., & Hale, L. (2024). The impact of screen use on sleep health across the lifespan: A National Sleep Foundation consensus statement. Sleep health, 10(4), 373–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2024.05.001
5Khoshbakht, Y., Bidaki, R., & Salehi-abargouei, A. (2018). Vitamin D Status and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.. Advances in nutrition, 9 1, 9-20 . https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmx002.
