SAD Athletes

As I write this, the Midwest is welcoming in winter with a bang. First long stretches of below-average temperatures and above-average snowfall, followed by day after day of rain and fog. While some athletes are giddy at the thought of playing in the snow, others are suffering both mentally and physically. For those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), November-March can be downright painful. Many don’t understand what SAD truly is because the term is used loosely. The American Psychiatric Association officially classifies SAD as a major depressive disorder with seasonal patterns. Different systems can be affected by SAD—from physiology to mental clarity. And while researchers don’t know exactly what causes it, the Cleveland Clinic has put together a list of theories they believe are linked. These include:

Biological clock change: When there’s less sunlight, your biological clock shifts. This internal clock regulates your mood, sleep, and hormones. When it shifts, you’re out of step with the daily schedule you’ve been used to and can’t adjust to changes in daylight length.

Brain chemical imbalance: Brain chemicals called neurotransmitters send communications between nerves. These chemicals include serotonin, which contributes to feelings of happiness. If you’re at risk of SAD, you may already have less serotonin activity. Since sunlight helps regulate serotonin, a lack of sunlight in the winter can make the situation worse. Serotonin levels can fall further, leading to depression.

Vitamin D deficiency: Your serotonin level also gets a boost from vitamin D. Since sunlight helps produce vitamin D, less sun in the winter can lead to a vitamin D deficiency. That change can affect your serotonin level and your mood.

Melatonin boost: Melatonin is a chemical that affects your sleep patterns and mood. The lack of sunlight may stimulate an overproduction of melatonin in some people. You may feel sluggish and sleepy during the winter.

Negative thoughts: People with SAD often have stress, anxiety, and negative thoughts about the winter. Researchers aren’t sure if these negative thoughts are a cause or effect of seasonal depression.

When one of the best-known treatments for SAD is physical activity, and one has a lowered to non-existent interest in working out, you can see a vicious pattern form.

As someone who has suffered from SAD my entire adult life, and as a trainer who helps athletes also experiencing symptoms, I have taken information from the NIH and Cleveland Clinic, as well as my personal experience working with athletes, and have broken down how SAD affects three systems an athlete needs to be functioning at a high level to succeed and what we can do to minimize the damage.

How SAD affects the physiology

Disrupted sleep, often presenting as poor sleep quality or oversleeping, can hinder crucial muscle recovery and energy restoration.

Altered appetite, often causing an increased craving for carbohydrates, can lead to weight gain and an unhealthy eating schedule.

Lowered neurotransmitters like serotonin, due to reduced sunlight, can alter mood and motivation, while reduced melatonin often makes mornings more challenging and can affect mood.

Poor recovery from sleep impairment can hinder muscle repair.

Impaired focus/coordination.

Decreased training consistency often creates a cycle of deconditioning and worsening performance.

Vitamin D deficiency, due to decreased sunlight, can lower bone density, muscle function, and strength.

Depression is often the symptom most linked to SAD. This can range from bouts of winter blues to debilitating depression.

Irritability can sometimes be observed in athletes who are usually calm and level-tempered. When an athlete is a part of a team, irritability can lead to isolation from others.

How SAD impacts athletic performance

Motivation and consistency are harder to maintain due to reduced energy and mood, making it more difficult to stick to a training plan.

Lowered cognitive function often equals slower reaction times, poor decision-making, and difficulty concentrating.

Physical capacity can be affected by reduced workout intensity and duration, potentially leading to deconditioning and increased injury/illness risk.

Reduced recovery after hard training sessions is often caused by impaired sleep and energy levels, directly hindering muscle repair.

There is hope

Having no interest in moving south to escape SAD, I’ve worked on a plan to help reduce the severity of my symptoms. While these steps have not made me feel as I do in spring, they have helped me not only “get by” but also embrace moments of winter. Here are the steps I have taken and how they have helped.

Making sleep hygiene a priority by going to bed and waking up around the same time each day, as well as limiting screen time prior to bed. This can be a challenge when the desire to sleep calls after dinner, since it’s so dark, but knowing that an evening nap can lead to restlessness at night keeps me from falling into that trap.

Spending time outside daily, preferably sometime in the morning. When the lowest temperatures occur in the early morning hours, it can be arduous to gear up to go outdoors around dawn or pre-dawn. I’m lucky to be able to commute to clients on foot or by bike, and I make it a priority unless there is a danger like ice.

Limiting processed carbohydrates and processed sugars. Both can increase cravings for junk food and change brain chemistry, leading to further increased depression and poor sleep quality, let alone not providing the nutrients my body needs to function well.

Increased healthy fat in foods. There’s a reason why Scandinavians eat more fatty fish in winter. The fat found in foods like salmon, sardines, avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil reduces the desire for processed carbohydrates, improves brain function, supports sleep, and helps keep skin and eyes healthy in dry, cold conditions.

Increased time on strength conditioning. For those who focus on endurance, weight training is often overlooked. Winter is a great time to switch things up, increase bone density, form new neural pathways, and improve coordination. Lifting heavier weights can also help promote deeper sleep. Plus, weights are easy to do inside and can help break up the monotony of doing long hours on cardio machines.

Showing up IS good enough. I have found that if I am too hard on myself in the winter, I’ll often deepen my depression and choose not to do anything at all. Embracing a walk or a snowshoe in the woods, even if it’s not as intense, is still movement and beneficial for both the body and mind. Think about biking or walking to run errands as a way to accomplish two things.

Including social time with workouts kills two birds with one stone. SAD often leads to depression and isolation. Including friends in your workouts, even virtually, can help hold you accountable and boost positive brain chemicals.

Trying something completely new, like dance, ice skating, or a group exercise class, can make you feel like exercise is more like play than work.

Get your vitamin D levels checked. I was surprised to find my levels were low despite the amount of time I spend outside. A 2022 NIH study by the Ki Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine found that low vitamin D levels were highly prevalent among athletes due to increased utilization and storage depletion. This can lead to negative effects on muscle strength, power, and endurance, as well as increased stress fractures, inflammation, fatigue, and depression.

Coffee or caffeine when nothing else seems to work. No, I’m not suggesting you live off of energy drinks, but a cup of coffee prior to a workout can oftentimes spark the desire to move. Scandinavians often use this method during their dark winters, and I have found it an excellent tool when I need motivation in the afternoon or during cloudy spells. I do, however, limit this to a few days per week and force myself to break the habit come spring.

Music can be an excellent motivator, but we can get into a rut with our choices. Ask friends to share their favorite exercise playlists.

Full-spectrum lights used at your desk or while reading can often help trigger the body into thinking it’s getting more natural sunlight and can raise serotonin levels. The Cleveland Clinic does not suggest light therapy, however, for those with diabetes, retinopathy, or bipolar disorder.

Finally, if you are working out outside, have your winter gear organized and readily accessible. There have been many days when I’ve given up in exhaustion because I can’t find my other glove, lights, or chemical warmers. The act of layering up is fatiguing enough. Having to dig through bins of synthetics to find the piece you need will not make it any easier.

If you feel you are experiencing SAD, it’s important to chat with your physician. Normal short bouts of winter blues are common but longer stretches that affect your mental or physical well-being can be addressed and hopefully alleviated. We don’t have to dread the winter months!