Seasonal Affective Disorder

Every year, when the seasons change, roughly 10 million Americans suffer from a disease called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The disease can affect you in many ways, including tiredness and loss of energy, an increased need for sleep, craving of carbohydrates, weight gain, a general disinterest in socializing, an overall sense of hopelessness, unhappiness, and irritability, said Kelle Sajdak, a counselor at Michigan State University Counseling Center.

People living in northern states like Michigan are affected by the disease much greater than somebody who is living in a warm weather state such as California or Florida, said Lisa Puceu, a therapist from Ann Arbor.

Sajdak said that it is important to take care of yourself, mainly by eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and participating in some form of stress relief.