Do you hate getting up when it’s still dark outside? What about looking at your watch in the evening when it’s been dark for hours and it’s not even 8 p.m. yet?
If so, you’re not alone. And this feeling isn’t simply the change of seasons or snow or colder temperatures. I grew up playing ice hockey at Howard’s Slough in Hooper, skiing at Snow Basin in Ogden, and getting pulled behind a truck on a sled in plowed fields in Clinton.
As a boy, seasonal changes were always a welcome respite from farm labor. But I didn’t like getting up and going to bed in the dark. I still don’t. Can you relate?
Winter weariness is a common, if often unspoken, sensation that settles in as the days grow shorter, old joints become stiffer, and routines become more confined. While not as clinically defined as Seasonal Affective Disorder, winter weariness can prompt emotional fatigue from the short days and long nights of winter. It can also produce lower motivation, irritability, a sense of monotony, and a subtle energy drain that can make even ordinary tasks feel more burdensome.
Bodies and minds in a funk
Part of the problem is just plain ole biology. Human bodies are deeply attuned to light, and winter reduces our exposure to it. With fewer daylight hours — what can sometimes feel like only a thin sliver of light between morning and evening — our circadian rhythms get out of sync. Melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate sleep, may increase earlier in the day as the light fades, leaving us drowsy and slow. Meanwhile, serotonin, which supports mood and emotional balance, can decline with limited sunlight. Together, these internal shifts are a recipe for feeling off-kilter, sluggish, or simply “the blahs.”
But winter weariness is not only biological; it’s also psychological and social. Especially as we age, we tend to stick by the fire during winter months. Even in southern Utah, people venture out less often, order in, and miss church more often. By February, many people feel caught in a cycle of repetition — layers, driving in the dark, indoor confinement, and little sense of forward progress. Even for those who generally enjoy winter, the endurance required can wear thin.
Adjustments that can help
Addressing winter weariness can begin with understanding what’s happening rather than merely assuming something is wrong. Light, for instance, is not merely pleasant; it is physical and physiological nourishment. Seeking even brief exposure to natural daylight can help. A 10-minute walk outside, a seat by a sunny window, or using a light simulator can stabilize circadian rhythms and support neurotransmitter balance.
Blaine Shaffer, now a St. George resident, should know: he invented the SunRizer and sunUp Dawn/Dusk simulator more than 30 years ago to stabilize his own circadian rhythms while living in Washington state.
“We had a 6-7 hour difference in sunlight between the winter and summer solstice,” he said. “I didn’t know what SAD was back then, although it is very helpful for people who have seasonal depression. I just wanted more daylight consistency all year round.” Shaffer’s invention was one of the first light simulators available for in-home use. In the United States there are now a variety of similar light simulation lamps with more than 20 million sold in 2024.
Movement is equally helpful. While winter makes outdoor exercise harder, physical activity can break up mental fatigue and elevate mood. It’s less about intensity and more about consistency by reminding the body that it is still active, engaged, and alive.
Mary Houston, says that shorter days and longer nights don’t restrict her daily activities, but it does seem to affect some of her children and grandchildren. “They feel cooped up,” she says. “Some of them get depressed. I don’t know why exactly but I think it is because they can’t get out and some of the things they normally do.”
Pam Dunford told me that she moves inside when the weather turns colder and the daylight hours are shorter. She usually walks alone near her house at other times of the year, but during the winter months she becomes a “mall walker.”
“I like to walk outside,” she says, “but in the cold weather, it’s enjoyable to walk around the mall with a friend and have some social time while still getting some exercise in.”
Routines can also make a difference. Shorter days tend to disrupt daily habits and patterns, especially sleep. Setting regular wake up times, meal times, and wind-down rituals restores a sense of internal order when the external world feels dark and gloomy. Many people also benefit from planning defined activities such as a weekly phone call to kids or grandkids, a creative project, or a cycle of books or movies.
Carol Wakefield, a Walmart checker, says the shorter days noticeably make shoppers more agitated. “They don’t want to be shopping in the dark, but they have no choice. The sun has already gone down by the time they get off work,” she told me. She mentioned that many people tell her they have safety concerns about shopping after the sun has gone down. A recent report from the United Kingdom found that millions of people change their behavior even after 4 p.m. when the sun goes down in England during the winter.
Christine Legare, a psychology professor at the University of Texas (Austin) says that personal rituals are “the behavioral grammar of humans. This is how we coordinate our minds, bodies, beliefs, and behavior with others.” She and others note that when they are disrupted because of weather, time zones, or other factors, we can become grumpy, moody, or just plain out of sorts until we are able to reestablish better conditions again.
Social connections, even in small doses, act as an antidote to the isolation that cold weather can bring. Reaching out does not require elaborate gatherings; instead, simple, steady contact with friends, neighbors, or family can create emotional boosts.
Ultimately, winter weariness is a gentle reminder that humans, like all living things, respond to the turning of the seasons. With awareness, compassion for oneself, and small intentional practices, the winter months can feel less like something to endure and more like a quieter phase of life with its own opportunities for reflection, reminders and resilience.