Mental Health Matters: Nic Goddard - October 2024

The shorter daylight hours as we head into winter often have an impact on our mental health.

There are scientific reasons for this with our hormone levels, including melatonin which makes us feel sleepy and serotonin which controls our mood and appetite, thought to be affected as well as our internal body clock which uses light levels to control our sleep patterns.

Conditions such as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) are often worse in winter.

There are many ways we can try to combat this, including spending as much time outside during daylight hours as we can, using devices like SAD lamps for light therapy and speaking to a GP about medication or therapy to help.

I often think of that hour when the clocks go back as one we are stealing - or borrowing - from our future self next spring.

We won’t need it then as the onset of springtime at the end of March will be giving us a boost. Trees will be leafing up, spring flowers will be in bloom, the sun will be shining, birds will be singing. Yes, I am an eternal optimist.

Many years ago, I was in a nightclub on the last Saturday evening in October and the DJ announced they would be putting the clock back which meant we all got another hour in the club.

We all cheered - except, perhaps, the staff on duty - and thoroughly enjoyed an extra hour of dancing, drinking and partying.

I propose this year that if the thought of the oncoming winter and shorter days is giving you a sad feeling to find something just as mood boosting and cheer inducing to use that stolen hour for.

You can even move it about and enjoy it during daylight if you like.