John B Batzel (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} batzel) wrote,@ 2007-08-13 09:49:00 |
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SAD skeptics
So many people are asking me how it's possible that I'm already feeling affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder. At the same time, I wonder how people around me can be so unobservant.
Here it is, August 12th. June 21st or so was the longest day of the year. According to the US Naval Observatory, "civil twilight" began at 5:00am and ended at 9:06pm on June 21st. Now, less than two months later, the times were 5:33am and 8:30pm. So we've lost more than an hour of daylight, already.
I suppose most folks are lucky they don't notice this kind of change creeping up on them. And I'm not anywhere near a major depression episode, I'm just noticing the 'warning signs' I've noted as happening at the beginning of this time: My appetite has increased exponentially (They should really ban me from the All You Can Eat sushi buffet at the local Hibachi restaurant), and my sleep is troubled and unsatisfying. I know it's coming, and while that makes me apprehensive it also allows me to examine my feelings, actions, and problems so I don't "believe" them.
The shortest day of the year is around Dec 21st, which according to the Navy starts civil twilight at 6:49am and ends it at 5:10pm. From 16 hours of light down to 10 (considering 'civil twilight', not sunrise/sunset. I'm being generous.)
While ten hours of light seems like it ought to be enough, the problem is really that the change throws off the ol' circadian rhythm. If you've ever listened to two timed patterns that aren't quite the same (like, turn signals and windshield wipers), you know how they can be in sync at one point and completely opposite at the other.
Another way to think of it is this: I tend to need 7-8 hrs of sleep a night, which means I get 16 hours of light out of the 16 or 17 I'm awake during the summer (100% to 94% of my day is light), and 10 hours of light during the winter (62% to 59% of the day). That's quite a drop -- what would you think if your kids scored an A+ on one report card, and an F- on another? Winter sunlight gets a failing grade from me.
So many people are asking me how it's possible that I'm already feeling affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder. At the same time, I wonder how people around me can be so unobservant.
Here it is, August 12th. June 21st or so was the longest day of the year. According to the US Naval Observatory, "civil twilight" began at 5:00am and ended at 9:06pm on June 21st. Now, less than two months later, the times were 5:33am and 8:30pm. So we've lost more than an hour of daylight, already.
I suppose most folks are lucky they don't notice this kind of change creeping up on them. And I'm not anywhere near a major depression episode, I'm just noticing the 'warning signs' I've noted as happening at the beginning of this time: My appetite has increased exponentially (They should really ban me from the All You Can Eat sushi buffet at the local Hibachi restaurant), and my sleep is troubled and unsatisfying. I know it's coming, and while that makes me apprehensive it also allows me to examine my feelings, actions, and problems so I don't "believe" them.
The shortest day of the year is around Dec 21st, which according to the Navy starts civil twilight at 6:49am and ends it at 5:10pm. From 16 hours of light down to 10 (considering 'civil twilight', not sunrise/sunset. I'm being generous.)
While ten hours of light seems like it ought to be enough, the problem is really that the change throws off the ol' circadian rhythm. If you've ever listened to two timed patterns that aren't quite the same (like, turn signals and windshield wipers), you know how they can be in sync at one point and completely opposite at the other.
Another way to think of it is this: I tend to need 7-8 hrs of sleep a night, which means I get 16 hours of light out of the 16 or 17 I'm awake during the summer (100% to 94% of my day is light), and 10 hours of light during the winter (62% to 59% of the day). That's quite a drop -- what would you think if your kids scored an A+ on one report card, and an F- on another? Winter sunlight gets a failing grade from me.
