Have you ever walked out of a lecture, at 4pm, after a very long day, excited to get a bit of fresh air, only for it to be dark outside? Wouldn’t your mood be so much better if it was sunny outside, or, since we can’t expect too much from the Edinburgh skies, for there to be sunlight? We are not plants, who require light for photosynthesis, but the cold and grey can surely be depressing.
Over 1 million people in the United Kingdom suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression linked to seasonal patterns. Winter-pattern SAD is experienced mostly by people who live in Northern countries, and seems to be related to a lack of sun exposure. Typically, this is caused by the lack of serotonin production, one of the chemical messengers (a neurotransmitter to be specific) in your brain, which controls mood, memory and other key functions. This lack of serotonin is similar to what happens during depression, which is why some doctors can prescribe antidepressants to deal with SAD, something which does work in some cases.Otherwise, most frequently, a GP would tell you to take vitamin D and call it a day. Although many different treatments are available, none are sure to work, and it can be very costly to have to get a diagnosis to follow for months in the UK.
This is why researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow have developed the Wintering-Well Programme, which aims to bring a Wintering-Well-Box to libraries in the North of Scotland. Inside these boxes are therapy lamps, which are meant to simulate the sunlight, and some instructions on how to better live with these winter blues. It is recommended to use the lamp every morning for 30 minutes, to help stimulate your brain into thinking it’s sunlight, therefore producing more serotonin during the winter months
The programme was first implemented across libraries in Greater Glasgow in 2024, and received a lot of positive feedback. Now, it will allow inhabitants of the Orkney islands, which receive less than 6 hours of daylight in winter, to alleviate SAD symptoms and have a good quality of life even in the colder months.
Although research doesn’t show the most conclusive results, light therapy is the most recommended treatment of SAD. And, from first hand experience, after feeling like I had not seen the sun for 3 months in Edinburgh, turning on a SAD lamp felt like a very calming warm hug; I recommend!