The Key Points
- Winter depression returns every autumn and eases in spring. Unlike the winter blues, it lasts for weeks and noticeably restricts everyday life.
- In men it often shows up as tiredness, irritability, withdrawal and cravings, and less often as sadness.
- The main trigger is a lack of light. On top of that, winter brings suppressed feelings closer to the surface.
- What helps: daylight every day, a light therapy lamp with a UV filter, exercise, a fixed daily rhythm, contact with others, and allowing feelings instead of pushing them away.
By mid-November it is dark at half past four. You drive to work in the dark and home in the dark. In between lies a grey day when the sun barely gets through the clouds.
Many men notice during these weeks that something is off. They are tired even though they sleep enough. Small things get on their nerves. The sofa wins against the gym, the chocolate against good intentions. Most put it down to stress or the weather and carry on.
Sometimes there is more to it: winter depression. It is not a sign of weakness, and you don’t have to simply sit it out.
Winter Blues or Winter Depression?
Not every low in November is depression. What makes the difference is how long it lasts and how heavy it weighs.
| Winter blues | Winter depression | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | individual days, comes and goes | most of the time, for at least two weeks |
| Everyday life | goes on, just with more effort | work, relationship and free time clearly suffer |
| Enjoyment | a good evening helps | even good things leave you cold |
| Pattern | fairly random | returns every autumn and eases in spring |
Professionals call it seasonal affective disorder. The German Depression Foundation speaks of it when the symptoms of a depressive episode appear “exclusively and repeatedly at a particular time of year, typically in autumn and winter” (translated; Deutsche Depressionshilfe). It typically looks different from many other depressions: more sleep rather than less, more appetite rather than less, often with weight gain.
How Men Recognise Winter Depression
Men rarely talk about sadness. In them, depression often shows up in the body, in their mood and in their behaviour. See whether you recognise yourself here:
- You sleep longer than usual and are still tired.
- You constantly crave sweets, bread or pasta and are gaining weight.
- You are irritable, quicker to anger or withdrawing.
- You keep putting off sport, friends and hobbies.
- At work everything takes more effort and it’s harder to concentrate.
- In the evenings you drink more, spend longer in front of screens or work late so you don’t have to feel anything.
- In spring you feel better again, and this repeats every year.
If several of these have applied for weeks, it’s worth taking a closer look. A good first step is the depression self-test for men on this site. It doesn’t replace a diagnosis, but it shows you where you stand.
Why Winter Weighs on Your Mood
The main trigger is a lack of light. Our internal clock is set by daylight. When light gets scarce, the rhythm of sleeping and waking gets out of step, and the body switches to energy-saving mode.
There is something else I often see in my work. Winter takes away many distractions: less time outdoors, fewer plans, longer evenings alone with yourself. Feelings that are easy to push aside in summer move closer to the surface. Anger about work, grief over a break-up, worries you don’t tell anyone.
Many men have learned to push such feelings away. That costs energy, and that is exactly the energy that is then missing. In my view, depression is often suppressed emotion. Winter simply makes that pressure easier to feel.
What You Can Do Yourself
- Get daylight every day. Go outside for at least half an hour, ideally in the morning, even when the sky is grey. Outdoors, even a dull day is far brighter than an office.
- Use a light therapy lamp. Lamps with around 10,000 lux and a UV filter, used for a while in the morning before breakfast, are well studied for winter depression. According to the German Depression Foundation, many studies indicate that light therapy works particularly well for seasonal depression. The German National Care Guideline on Unipolar Depression recommends that a trial of light therapy “should be offered” for depression with a seasonal pattern (translated; NVL, p. 161). What matters is bright visible light, not UV radiation. A tanning bed is therefore no substitute and puts strain on your skin. If you have an eye condition, talk to your eye doctor first.
- Keep moving. A brisk walk in daylight gives you light and exercise at the same time.
- Keep a fixed rhythm. Get up at the same time at weekends too. It gives your internal clock something to hold on to.
- Stay in touch. Make plans with people deliberately, even when an evening on the sofa seems more tempting.
- Allow feelings instead of pushing them away. Take a few minutes in the evening and ask yourself: what did I feel today and not show? Anger, grief or fear often lose their pressure when you notice them instead of fighting them. That is exactly what the Sedona Method I work with is about. Its effect can be felt immediately: during the exercise itself a feeling becomes lighter. So you don’t have to hope for results at some point in the future; you can check the effect yourself in the moment.
And vitamin D? In winter, the skin produces hardly any vitamin D in Germany. There is no general recommendation for healthy adults to take supplements. If you have felt tired and run down for weeks, ask your GP to check your vitamin D level. If you are deficient, a supplement can make sense; as a guide, the German Nutrition Society gives 20 micrograms (800 IU) a day. Vitamin D alone does not treat depression, though.
When to Get Support
Self-help has its limits. Get support if the low lasts longer than two weeks, if your work or relationship is suffering, or if you notice you are just dragging yourself through the days.
You don’t have to wait for spring. In a free trial session online, you can calmly work out what lies behind your winter low and whether my way of working suits you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do men get winter depression too?
Yes. Men just recognise it less often, because it tends to show up as tiredness, irritability or withdrawal rather than sadness.
When does winter depression start?
Usually in autumn as the days get shorter, often after the clocks go back. For many, the hardest weeks run from mid-November to January. It usually eases in spring.
Does a tanning bed help with winter depression?
No, it isn’t suitable for that. What counteracts the lack of light is bright visible light, not UV radiation. A light therapy lamp with a UV filter is the better choice.
Does vitamin D help with winter depression?
Vitamin D alone does not treat depression. If you feel tired in winter, though, a blood test at your GP is worthwhile: if you are deficient, a supplement can make sense.
How do I tell the winter blues from winter depression?
The winter blues come and go, and everyday life carries on. With winter depression, the symptoms last for weeks and clearly restrict work, relationships and free time.
References
- German Depression Foundation: Depression in verschiedenen Lebenslagen (winter depression, depression and work). https://www.deutsche-depressionshilfe.de/wissen/depression-in-verschiedenen-lebenslagen
- German Medical Association (BÄK), National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), AWMF: Nationale VersorgungsLeitlinie Unipolare Depression (German National Care Guideline on Unipolar Depression), long version, version 3.2 (2022). AWMF register no. nvl-005. https://www.leitlinien.de/themen/depression
- German Depression Foundation (Stiftung Deutsche Depressionshilfe): Was ist eine Depression? (What is depression?). https://www.deutsche-depressionshilfe.de/wissen/was-ist-eine-depression
- IGeL-Monitor: Merkblatt Lichttherapie (fact sheet on light therapy). https://www.igel-monitor.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Merkblatt_Lichttherapie.pdf
- Apotheken Umschau: Schädliches Solarium (on tanning beds and UV radiation). https://www.apotheken-umschau.de/mein-koerper/haut-und-haare/schaedliches-solarium-was-uv-strahlung-mit-der-haut-macht-1402581.html
- apotheke adhoc: Vitamin D im Winter – für Risikogruppen sinnvoll (vitamin D in winter). https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/panorama/vitamin-d-im-winter-fuer-risikogruppen-sinnvoll/
Depression is a serious illness and should always be assessed by a doctor as well. Never stop taking medication without talking to your doctor. The medical standard for diagnosis and treatment in Germany is set out in the National Care Guideline on Unipolar Depression (in German).
If you are thinking about suicide or are in an acute crisis, please call the emergency number 112 immediately or the Telefonseelsorge crisis line on 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222 (free, 24/7).
The Next Step
Winter doesn’t have to become a long slog every year. In a trial session, we look together at what lies behind your low and what a concrete, practical next step could look like. Online, from home.
Read more: The complete guide Depression in Men covers symptoms, causes and ways out. For partners: Depression in Men: What Partners Need to Know.