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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSummer is the UK\u2019s best-loved season. It\u2019s easy to see why, with the warmer, sunnier weather it brings. But the temperature isn\u2019t the only reason people prefer midsummer to the dark days of winter. Many also report their mood is better during the warmer months.<\/p>\n
But why is it that our mood changes so much through the seasons? While there are many complex reasons why the weather can have such a significant affect on our mood and wellbeing, the key answer lies in our brain \u2013 and the way almost all of our body\u2019s systems are hardwired to respond to what\u2019s going on around us.<\/p>\n
Your body\u2019s core temperature is set at 37\u00b0C. Temperature is regulated by an area of the brain known as the hypothalamus. This nerve centre receives information about temperature from all over the body and initiates actions to either cool down or warm up accordingly.<\/p>\n
The outside temperature can also affect our biological clock \u2013 otherwise known as our circadian rhythms. These govern, among other functions, our sleep-wake cycles.<\/p>\n
Our circadian rhythms are also regulated by the hypothalamus \u2013 more specifically, a part of it called the suprachiasmatic nucleus. The fact that both temperature control and sleep-wake cycles are governed from within the same region of the brain suggests they are inextricably connected.<\/p>\n
This connection can also partly help to explain why our moods can shift so much from winter to summer. It\u2019s the interaction between these nervous pathways that are believed to impact mood through their effect on sleep, mood-influencing neurotransmitters, and more.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Summer is the UK\u2019s most-loved season (Getty\/iStock)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nFor instance, in winter, many people find their mood takes a dip \u2013 especially during the long, dark days of midwinter. Some people even develop seasonal affective disorder (Sad), a condition associated with depressive episodes that fluctuate with the comings-and-goings of the different seasons \u2013 though it\u2019s typically more common in the winter because of the darker days and cold temperatures.<\/p>\n
Sad can also cause sleep disturbances, lethargy and appetite changes \u2013 particularly cravings for carbohydrates. As the summer months arrive, people with winter Sad usually find their symptoms significantly improve.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s some evidence that Sad is linked to secretion of a hormone called melatonin \u2013 a hormone that\u2019s also linked to our circadian rhythms. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland, which shares nervous connections with the hypothalamus and acts to control timing and quality of sleep.<\/p>\n
Melatonin levels typically remain relatively low during the day \u2013 but levels start to creep up in the evening, reaching their highest levels in the middle of the night. But the lower levels of daylight in the winter can cause dysfunction with melatonin levels, typically increasing its secretion. This probably explains why people feel sleepier and more fatigued in winter \u2013 and which may in turn trigger depression.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not just melatonin that\u2019s linked to Sad. Other neurotransmitters which act as mood boosters (such as serotonin) appear to be affected by dark and cold days too. There also seems to be a link with geographical location \u2013 with evidence showing the condition is more common in regions furthest from the equator, where there are extremes of daylight and temperature.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>People generally feel more energetic in summer (Getty\/iStock)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Summertime sadness<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n When summer finally makes an appearance, the effect of sunshine and heat upon the energy-boosting neurotransmitters (such as serotonin) makes a notable difference to mood. This may be partly due to increased amounts of vitamin D \u2013 which is made in the skin, and requires sunlight exposure to reach higher levels. Vitamin D has been proven to positively affect serotonin levels.<\/p>\n
But not everyone finds themselves pleased by summer\u2019s hotter temperatures and longer days. Some may find they feel more miserable this season.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s another variation of Sad, albeit rarer (affecting less than 10 per cent of Sad patients) that actually gets worse in summer.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s less clear why some people get Sad in the summertime \u2013 and is probably due to a range of factors. It may be due to the heat and humidity or even feelings of self-consciousness. It could possibly even be due to sleep disruptions \u2013 since the longer days might disrupt our circadian rhythm.<\/p>\n
Certain health conditions may also influence how we cope with the warmer temperatures. Take the menopause, where symptoms such as hot flushes may be exacerbated by the warmer weather. Those dealing with these symptoms may find it becomes even more difficult during heat waves \u2013 and this may take a toll on their mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>People with certain health conditions may find it hard to cope with heatwaves (iStock)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nSome research does show that rising temperatures can be a precipitant for acute mental illness. One study examined a population of patients with bipolar disorder and found there was a significant peak in the number of hospital admissions in the summer months compared to patients with other psychiatric disorders. Their statistical analysis demonstrated that higher temperatures and solar radiation levels were the most significant determinants of acute episodes.<\/p>\n
Another study has also suggested a link between increased temperatures and risk of suicidal behaviour.<\/p>\n
The body\u2019s natural responses to heat also feeds into the biological stress response. The mechanisms by which the body cools down, such as sweating and promoting blood flow to the skin, can cause dehydration and skin flushing. This may make people feel of frustrated and irritable, have trouble concentrating and may even impact the quality of sleep.<\/p>\n
The interplay between temperature, sunlight, the body\u2019s circadian clock and mood is a complex and intriguing conundrum \u2013 and one which is as unique as each person. While some of us are hard-wired to be sunchasers, others eagerly look forward to the dark days of winter. But in a world where climate change is a definite reality, we need to better understand how a warming world is going to affect our wellbeing.<\/p>\n
Dan Baumgardt is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol<\/em><\/p>\nThis article was originally published by The Conversation and is republished under a Creative Commons licence. Read the <\/em>original article<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Summer is the UK\u2019s best-loved season. It\u2019s easy to see why, with the warmer, sunnier weather it brings. But the temperature isn\u2019t the only reason people prefer midsummer to the dark days of winter. Many also report their mood is better during the warmer months. But why is it that our mood changes so much through the seasons? While there are many complex reasons why the weather can have such a significant affect on our mood and wellbeing, the key answer lies in our brain \u2013 and the way almost all of our body\u2019s systems are hardwired to respond to what\u2019s going on around us. Your body\u2019s core temperature is set at 37\u00b0C. Temperature is regulated by an area of the brain known as the hypothalamus. This nerve centre receives information about temperature from all over the body and initiates actions to either cool down or warm up accordingly. The outside temperature can also affect our biological clock \u2013 otherwise known as our circadian rhythms. These govern, among other functions, our sleep-wake cycles. Our circadian rhythms a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2923"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}