Weather Words: Winter Fatigue

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Anyone else already experiencing winter fatigue? This winter season has come in full throttle – with persistent extremely cold temperatures that haven’t let up. Snow has fallen in all 50 states in the U.S. and temperatures at times have been 20-30 degrees below average. It’s not surprising that winter fatigue may be settling in.

Winter fatigue is an actual psychological disorder, along with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), where people feel more groggy, depressed and exhausted during the winter months. According to an American Psychiatric Association (APA) poll, about 41% of Americans experience a decline in mood during the winter months. For those living in northern areas, that percentage jumps to roughly 50%.

With a little less than two months to go until the start of spring, there may be some things you can do to combat winter fatigue.

• Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D
• Try to soak up sunlight early in the day, or try light therapy (where you sit in front of a light box for 30 minutes)
• Get plenty of exercise
• Spend time with friends and/or do activities you normally enjoy
• Eat healthy

And remember, this won’t last forever. Spring will be here before we know it as the days get a little longer each passing day.

J​ennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.