Small changes to reduce the impact of seasonal affective disorder when the days get shorter

The clocks going back this weekend can trigger seasonal affective disorder — a condition affecting one in 15 people — but leading experts say it’s possible to minimise the impact by making small daily lifestyle changes

Sinéad Kennedy often travels to sunnier climates during winter.

Sinéad Kennedy calls herself “the queen of the winter blues”. For as long as she can remember, the seasonal darkness triggers a descent in mood that usually lasts into the spring.

“It’s the grey days that hurt the most, especially if we get a row of them,” says Kennedy, who is a travel writer and organiser of group wellness holidays from Rathfarnham in Dublin.