Winter in Alaska isn’t just cold. It can feel like the sun barely shows up. I wake up, and it’s dark. I go to work, still dark. By the time I drive home, it’s dark again. Every winter, those long, dark days can drag me into the winter blues — grumpy mornings, sadness and low energy.
This year, I wondered: How could I feel better during Alaska’s long, dark season without a huge effort or blowing my budget?
For this Alaska Survival Kit, I talked to two experts who shared five simple strategies.
1. Turn your bedroom into a cave
Debby Maloney, a nurse practitioner at Vitae Integrative Medical Center in Anchorage, said she sees many of the same patients each year as winter begins, seeking help for symptoms of seasonal depression. She said prevention is key because it’s easy for some people to descend into the winter blues by letting small things slide.
“We stay in bed longer,” she said. “We don’t take care of ourselves as well. We’re not exercising as much. We’re not eating the same foods and we start getting into this very slow decline, into this depressive state.”
So how do we avoid this fate?
It starts with where you sleep, Maloney said. She said you want to transform your bedroom into a cool, dark cave.
“Our bodies actually sleep better if we’re in a more cool environment,” Maloney said. “So cool, dark, cozy.”
She recommends turning your thermostat down by as much as 10 degrees at night.
2. Wake up with bright lights
To turn off the sleep hormone melatonin, you need light — and lots of it. With no morning sun in the winter, Maloney said your best bet is to use sun lamps, which mimic daytime brightness.
Maloney said she doesn’t have seasonal affective disorder, but she still uses the lamps to help with her energy and mood.
“Getting that bright light in your eyes within the first hour of waking up, [for] 20 to 30 minutes, it's been a game changer for me,” Maloney said. “I don't have that afternoon crash.”
If you’re on a budget, thrift stores or secondhand marketplaces usually have some of the lights for sale. Also, the hardware store sells more affordable light bulbs that simulate sunlight.
3. Don’t skip exercise
Maloney said even gentle exercise tells your body it’s time to wake up and you don’t need to be a super athlete to benefit.
“I used to tell some of my elderly patients that, if we can't go outside and walk, maybe go to your favorite store and just walk around the perimeter,” she said. “Just get some exercise.”
4. Check in and reach out
Rani Malone, who works in mental health support at Alaska Behavioral Health, didn’t do anything special during seasonal changes as a kid growing up in Palmer. But as an adult, she’s leaned into self care in the winter to boost her mood.
One of her favorite tips is simple: Check in with neighbors and friends. It's good for you and good for them.
“Asking people how they're doing and trying to just connect and and plan things — social connection is going to be a huge thing that's going to help you get through the season,” Malone said.
5. Visualize the good. Repeat.
But it’s one thing to know that we should be doing these things, and another to make yourself do them in the winter, even if you don’t feel like it. Malone said to motivate yourself, visualize the good that will come out of it.
“Thinking of, what's your overall goal?” she said. “So just, doing the opposite of what you naturally want to do, which is stay in bed and stay warm.”
She said the more you do a healthy routine, the easier it gets. And she would know. Her elaborate night routine includes winding down with aromatherapy and a shower with eucalyptus, dim lights, journaling and sipping a nightcap magnesium drink.
But she said self care like that isn’t always enough. Malone said to get professional help if you notice these signs:
“If you're having a hard time getting out of bed multiple mornings, and it's now turned into weeks, and you're missing work, or you're missing your responsibilities of taking care of your kids or your household,” she said.
And she said it’s really important to reach out for help if you’re thinking of harming yourself or others.
RELATED: 3 tips for embracing winter in Alaska, even if you hate the cold
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