A light breeze is wafting, the leaves are rustling across the office parking lot, and it’s 2:30 on a Tuesday afternoon… yet somehow consciousness feels like it’s 7:15pm on a Friday. Now your energy has completely disappeared, and you suddenly find yourself asking, “Why do I get so tired in the fall?” Somewhere in the back of your mind, you vaguely remember reading about Seasonal Affective Disorder in a random magazine at your dentist’s office, then never thinking about it again.
There is something peculiar about October in Maryland. The oppressive summer heat finally retreats, the leaves turn beautiful shades of red and gold, and the mosquitoes seem to realize their annual reign of terror is coming to an end. You would think this would be a wonderful time to feel energetic, take long walks, and enjoy being outdoors without needing a shower every twenty minutes.
Yet some people experience almost the opposite. They wake up exhausted despite getting plenty of sleep, struggle to concentrate during the afternoon, and find themselves thinking about dinner when they have barely finished lunch. By six o’clock, the couch is looking remarkably attractive, and the thought of getting dressed to go anywhere seems like an unnecessary complication.
Perhaps you have blamed your age, a demanding work schedule, or the approaching time change. But if the same pattern returns every autumn, there may be another explanation worth considering.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression associated with a recurring seasonal pattern. Although many people think of it as a winter problem, symptoms frequently begin during the fall as daylight hours become shorter.
As a chiropractor and clinical nutritionist, I am particularly interested in how these seasonal changes can affect our physical routines. When we feel tired and unmotivated, we tend to move less, spend more time indoors, abandon activities we normally enjoy, and sometimes neglect the everyday habits that support our health.
The relationship between our physical and emotional well-being deserves attention, especially during a season when both can seem to change at once.
What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder, and Why Does It Begin in the Fall?
Our bodies operate according to internal biological rhythms that help regulate sleep, wakefulness, appetite, hormone activity, and numerous other functions. Light is one of the most important signals influencing these rhythms.
During summer, sunlight arrives early and remains available well into the evening. By October, daylight is disappearing earlier, and many people spend much of their day indoors. Someone working a conventional office schedule may leave home shortly after sunrise and return with very little daylight remaining.
Researchers believe that changes in circadian rhythms and the regulation of serotonin and melatonin may contribute to seasonal affective disorder. These systems influence mood and sleep, although the precise mechanisms involved in SAD are still being studied.
For some individuals, the seasonal transition brings noticeable changes in energy, mood, appetite, and sleeping patterns. Others experience little difficulty adjusting to shorter days.
The National Institute of Mental Health identifies SAD as a form of depression rather than simply a dislike of winter. Symptoms often begin during late fall or early winter and improve during spring and summer.
Is It Seasonal Affective Disorder or Just Ordinary Fatigue?
Everyone experiences occasional fatigue, particularly when work becomes demanding, sleep is disrupted, or daily routines change. Feeling sluggish for a few days in October does not automatically mean you have SAD.
What deserves attention is a persistent pattern of symptoms that begins affecting ordinary life.
Someone experiencing winter-pattern SAD may sleep longer than usual while continuing to feel exhausted. Concentration can become difficult, activities that were previously enjoyable may lose their appeal, and social withdrawal can gradually become part of the daily routine.
Increased appetite and cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods are also common. For someone who has spent the summer improving their nutrition or working toward a healthier body weight, those changes can be particularly frustrating.
Depression may also involve persistent sadness, hopelessness, or a loss of interest in activities that normally bring pleasure. A healthcare professional can evaluate the duration, severity, and recurrence of these symptoms to determine whether seasonal depression or another condition may be responsible.
Persistent fatigue can also have other medical explanations, including anemia, thyroid disorders, sleep apnea, medication effects, and nutritional deficiencies. It is worth investigating the cause rather than assuming that every tired person in October simply needs more sunshine.
Your Spine Deserves Attention, Even When Nothing Hurts
Here is something I would like people to consider. Most of us schedule haircuts, visit the dentist for routine cleanings, and occasionally enjoy a facial or massage without waiting for something to go terribly wrong.
Yet when it comes to our spine, many people give it very little attention until they experience pain.
I would like to see that change.
For some patients, chiropractic care can be part of an individualized approach to spinal health, mobility, and physical well-being. Consider how much time we spend sitting at desks, driving, using computers, or repeating the same limited range of movements throughout the day. Even people who exercise regularly may spend much of their remaining time relatively inactive.
The joints of the spine are designed to move, and the surrounding muscles help control that movement. During a chiropractic examination, we can assess spinal mobility, identify relevant restrictions, and determine whether an adjustment or another form of care may be appropriate.
An adjustment applies a controlled mechanical force to a joint, producing movement and stimulating sensory receptors in the surrounding tissues. These receptors provide information to the nervous system about body position and movement, a process known as proprioception.
There is also something very basic—and very human—about movement itself. Spend enough hours sitting, driving, working at a computer, or moving through the same handful of positions every day and parts of the body can begin to feel as though they have simply gone quiet. An adjustment introduces movement into joints that may not be getting much variety in ordinary life, while those moving joints and surrounding tissues send a fresh stream of sensory information back to the nervous system. I am not suggesting that this treats SAD or somehow flips a happiness switch in the brain. But many patients know the feeling of getting off the table, moving a little more freely, and simply feeling more awake in their own body.
Research continues to examine how spinal manipulation influences sensory processing and neuromuscular function. While we should not interpret those effects as evidence that an adjustment treats seasonal depression, some patients find that appropriate chiropractic care helps them move more comfortably and contributes positively to their physical well-being.
And during a season when it becomes increasingly tempting to stay home, having an enjoyable appointment on the calendar can be a welcome change to the routine.
We Like Seeing You, Even When Nothing Is Hurts
One aspect of healthcare that deserves more attention is the experience of visiting the practice itself.
At DeMaio Family Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, we want our Bowie and Gambrills offices to be places where patients feel comfortable, welcome, and genuinely pleased to see familiar faces. We enjoy catching up with our patients, and when someone has been away for a while, we look forward to seeing them again.
A chiropractic appointment does not have to be another unpleasant obligation squeezed into an exhausting week. For patients who benefit from ongoing care, it can be a familiar part of their personal wellness routine.
Come in, catch up with people who are happy to see you, receive the care that makes sense for your needs, and leave having devoted some time to your physical well-being.
Sometimes the benefit of an appointment begins before the adjustment itself: you got out of the house, walked into a place where people know your name, had a few laughs, moved your body, and did something deliberately positive for yourself.
There is something particularly valuable about maintaining positive routines during the fall. Someone experiencing seasonal fatigue may gradually stop accepting invitations, abandon regular activities, and spend more evenings at home. Familiar places, enjoyable appointments, and opportunities for social interaction can help preserve some structure in an increasingly isolated routine.
Of course, a pleasant chiropractic visit is not a treatment for SAD. Someone experiencing significant depression needs appropriate medical or mental health care. But there is no reason that taking care of your spine must always begin with an injury or an episode of pain.
We schedule dental cleanings to maintain healthy teeth, even when nothing hurts. Your spine deserves that same attention. Regular chiropractic care can be part of taking care of your mobility and physical well-being, rather than waiting until pain gives you a reason to make an appointment.
For patients who enjoy periodic chiropractic care, an individualized wellness routine can become something to look forward to throughout the year.
Why Do I Crave Carbs When the Days Get Shorter?
Some people experiencing seasonal depression notice something beyond fatigue: an unusually strong interest in food, particularly bread, pasta, sweets, and other carbohydrate-rich choices.
The pumpkin-spice industry, of course, seems delighted to cooperate.
Increased appetite and carbohydrate cravings are recognized symptoms of winter-pattern SAD. Changes in mood, sleep, biological rhythms, and eating behavior may contribute, although the precise mechanisms are not completely understood.
As a chiropractor with advanced credentials in nutrition, including CMNCS and CNS, I believe these changes deserve more consideration than simply telling someone to exercise greater discipline. Sleep deprivation, stress, medications, and existing metabolic conditions can also affect appetite and food preferences.
Maintaining regular meals, eating adequate protein, including fiber-rich foods, and following a sustainable nutritional plan may help support overall health. If unusual fatigue and changes in appetite persist, an evaluation may identify medical or nutritional concerns that need attention.
Could Vitamin D (Or Lack Of) Be Part of the Problem?
Vitamin D frequently enters the conversation whenever people discuss sunlight, fatigue, and seasonal depression.
Our bodies can produce vitamin D when sunlight reaches the skin, although production depends on the season, geographic location, skin pigmentation, age, and other factors. As daylight hours shorten and Maryland residents spend more time indoors, opportunities for natural vitamin D production may decrease.
Vitamin D is essential for bone health, normal muscle function, and several other physiological processes. A significant deficiency can contribute to health problems, and correcting a documented deficiency may be appropriate.
However, research has not established that vitamin D supplementation reliably treats seasonal affective disorder. Correcting a deficiency and treating a depressive disorder are different clinical objectives.
Someone experiencing persistent fatigue may benefit from discussing their symptoms, diet, and health history with a healthcare professional. When testing is indicated, the results can help determine whether supplementation is necessary.
Taking increasingly large doses of vitamin D simply because the weather has become cloudy is not a substitute for understanding why you feel tired.
Does Light Therapy Actually Work for Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Light therapy is one of the established treatment options for winter-pattern SAD. It involves exposure to a specially designed bright-light device, usually in the morning, to help compensate for reduced natural daylight.
A commonly studied approach uses a light box producing approximately 10,000 lux for a prescribed period each morning. The appropriate duration depends on the device and the individual’s needs.
Light therapy can improve symptoms for many people, while cognitive behavioral therapy adapted for seasonal depression and antidepressant medications are other established treatment options.
However, buying the brightest lamp available and placing it beside your breakfast cereal is not necessarily the right approach. People with certain eye conditions, bipolar disorder, or medications that increase sensitivity to light may require particular precautions.
A qualified healthcare professional can help determine which treatment is appropriate, particularly when symptoms are persistent or interfere with everyday functioning.
Give Yourself Something Positive to Look Forward to This Fall
October is a good time to pay attention to seasonal changes before shorter days become an established part of your routine. If you notice your energy and mood declining around the same time each year, keeping track of your sleep, appetite, physical activity, and emotional well-being may help you recognize a recurring pattern.
Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, spend time outdoors during daylight hours, and continue participating in activities you enjoy. Regular meals and manageable physical activity can also support your overall health while you determine whether more specific treatment is needed.
And remember to make room for the ordinary things that help you feel like yourself. Meet a friend for lunch, maintain your exercise routine, schedule a haircut, or visit the dentist for your regular cleaning.
When shorter days leave you feeling tired and less motivated, even familiar activities can begin to feel like obligations. Maintaining a routine that includes movement, social interaction, and time devoted to your physical well-being can help you stay engaged with everyday life while you address the underlying cause of your fatigue.
If periodic chiropractic care is part of your established wellness routine, there is no reason to abandon it simply because the weather is getting cooler and the days are becoming shorter.
At DeMaio Family Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, we enjoy being part of that routine for patients in Bowie, Gambrills, and the surrounding Maryland communities. Whether you visit us for a specific musculoskeletal problem or an individualized approach to ongoing spinal care, our goal is to provide a positive experience centered on your mobility and physical well-being.
If persistent fatigue, depressed mood, excessive sleepiness, or significant changes in appetite are interfering with everyday life, please seek an evaluation from your physician or a qualified mental health professional. You do not need to wait until spring to ask for help.
There is plenty to enjoy about October in Maryland, from the changing leaves and cooler afternoons to that brief, glorious period when neither the air conditioner nor the furnace is particularly necessary.
While you are taking care of the rest of yourself this fall, remember that your spine deserves a little attention too.
With care,
Dr. John DeMaio, D.C., CMNCS, CNS
A Chiropractor in Bowie & Gambrills, Maryland
For appointments, call or text my office at:
Gambrills – (410) 721-2222
Bowie – (301) 262-4545
With care,
Dr. John DeMaio, D.C., CNS
A Chiropractor in Bowie & Gambrills, Maryland
For appointments, call or text my office at:
Gambrills – (410) 721-2222
Bowie – (301) 262-4545
