No matter how much you prepare for it, there’s always something jarring about the darkness that follows the clocks going back. Long gone are the days when you could pop out for a daylight walk after work – now, it’s pitch black by the time 5:30pm arrives.

The miserable weather we’ve been having recently has made the darkness feel even more oppressive, especially for those of us who struggle with seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

Also known as winter depression, SAD is a condition characterised by symptoms including persistent low mood, lethargy and irritability, and it’s estimated that around two million people in the UK struggle with the condition every year. There are varying levels of severity, though – and while some people might only experience a handful of symptoms, others tend to be worse affected.

If you suspect you may have SAD, and the symptoms are disrupting your day-to-day life, then it’s important to speak to your GP or another health professional. They can prescribe a range of treatments including light therapy, medication and talking therapy.

However, if your symptoms are mild, then you might be able to improve your SAD simply by making changes to your lifestyle. Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best tried-and-tested ways to alleviate symptoms of seasonal affective disorder to help you get started.  

The exact cause of SAD remains a mystery, but many experts believe it has something to do with the lack of sunlight exposure we get during the autumn and winter months. To counteract this, it’s believed that light therapy – a treatment backed by the NHS – could help to alleviate symptoms.

But sitting in front of any old lamp doesn’t really cut it. You’ll need a special light box or SAD lamp, which have bulbs which emit light at a high enough intensity to make a difference (experts typically recommend above 10,000 lux). Want to find out more about SAD lamps? Check out our guide, as well as what happened when senior writer Amy Beecham tried one for herself.

Don’t just take our word for it, either. Research has shown that light therapy can make a difference: a study published back in 2009 found that just 20 minutes of light exposure can lead to improvements in mood.

It might be cold and grey in the mornings right now, but the worst thing you can do is stay in bed. Our body’s circadian rhythm – which controls everything from our body temperature to our sleep/wake cycles – relies on external cues such as light exposure to function properly. 

The sleep/wake cycle is particularly dependent on these natural light cues, and exposing yourself to natural light in the morning helps to stimulate the release of cortisol – the stress hormone which wakes you up – while repressing melatonin – the sleep hormone which makes you feel lethargic.

This is important during the winter months when the darkness we’re met with in the mornings can leave us feeling tired and groggy – common symptoms of SAD.

Because (as mentioned above) the body uses light cues to function, waking up in a dark room is not the most effective start to the day, especially when it’s still dark outside and natural light is out of the question.

Dawn simulators like the Lumie Bodyclock Spark 100 (£99.99) work by gently brightening 30 minutes before your alarm is due to go off, so you wake up in a naturally lit room. When Strong Women’s senior writer Lauren Geall tried one, she found it easier to wake up feeling refreshed (even when it was dark and cold outside). 

Numerous studies have found that exercise can play an important role in alleviating symptoms of SAD. Exercising outside can yield even greater benefits due to the added bonus of natural light exposure.

In fact, a study by Bates College Health Center showed that an hour of aerobic exercise outside (even with cloudy skies overhead) had equivalent benefits to 2.5 hours of light treatment indoors. Take a longer route on your walk to work, go for a run or have a snowball fight (if it gets that cold) to beat the blues.

Images: Getty