Why Do I Feel Sad When It Gets Dark Early? A Plan for November 1
On Saturday, October 31, the sun sets in New York a little before 6:00 PM. On Sunday, November 1, it sets before 5:00 PM.
You will feel that on Monday. The walk from the train is dark. The evening is long and a little flat, and you cannot say why.
That is a real reaction to a real change. It is also predictable, which means you can plan for it.
Why Do I Feel Sad When It Gets Dark Early?
Your body clock runs on light. Morning light tells it the day has started. Evening dark tells it to wind down.
When the clocks fall back, that signal moves by an hour overnight. Sleep, appetite, and energy can take days, sometimes weeks, to catch up.
A Danish study looked at hospital records after the switch to standard time. Researchers found an 11 percent rise in hospital contacts for depression, and the rise faded over about 10 weeks.
That is a pattern across a whole population. It cannot tell us why it happens, and it cannot tell us what will happen to you. It does show that the change is not nothing.
Four Things to Set Up Before November 1
The useful question is not whether the change will reach you. It is what you can have in place when it does.
Start with the part of the change that works in your favor
Use the New Morning Light
Sunrise in New York moves from about 7:25 AM on October 31 to about 6:26 AM on November 1. You get an hour of daylight back before work.
Go outside within one hour of waking, for 10 minutes.
Drink your first coffee outside if you can.
Cloud cover still counts. Outdoor light on an overcast day is far brighter than indoor light.
Keep your wake time within one hour every day, weekends included.
Give 5:00 PM a Plan
Your workday probably has a plan. The hour after it usually does not.
Behavioral activation is built for this hour. You plan an activity before you feel like doing it, because motivation often follows action.
Open Google Calendar this week.
Add two recurring evening events from November through February. A Tuesday call with a friend and a Thursday class or dinner are enough.
Set a phone alarm labeled "lamps on" for 4:45 PM. Dimmer, warmer light in the evening supports sleep better than bright overhead light.
On a low-energy day, a 15-minute phone call while you walk counts.
Ask About Vitamin D
The National Institutes of Health notes that more melanin in the skin reduces how much vitamin D the skin makes from sunlight. Black Americans typically have lower vitamin D blood levels, and skin pigmentation is one of several reasons.
Whether this affects mood is not settled. It is a fair question for your primary care provider, who can order a blood test before you start any supplement.
Track Your Mood for Two Weeks
Once the first three are in place, you need a way to see how they are working. On November 1, pick one place to log your mood. The Notes app on your phone works, and so does a mood tracker:
Apple Health: the Health app on iPhone has a State of Mind log for daily moods and momentary emotions.
Daylio: on iPhone and Android. You tap icons for your mood and activities instead of writing. Check how it backs up your entries.
How We Feel: on iPhone and Android, from a nonprofit project on understanding emotions. It is built around naming specific emotions, not only rating them.
Bearable: on iPhone and Android. It tracks mood alongside symptoms and medication.
These are examples, not endorsements. Mood entries are personal health information, so check an app's privacy settings before you start.
Whichever you choose, set a phone alarm for 6:00 PM. Each day, log a number from 0 to 10 for your mood and one word for your energy. Keep going through November 14.
On November 15, read the numbers. A dip that lifts as your body adjusts is one pattern to look for. Low mood or loss of interest most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or more is the point to talk with a clinician.
Next Step
If you would like help building your plan for these months, you can book a consult with us here: [Book]. We offer telehealth for clients in New York and New Jersey.
This article is educational and does not replace medical advice. If you feel unsafe, call or text 988.
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