A right ray of sunshine? Meh.
While most people find warm, sunny weather a welcome relief after brutal arctic winters with record-breaking blizzards, not everyone looks forward to those clear-sky, 80-degree days.
In fact, some people are pretty miserable in the summer — tired, touchy and impatiently waiting for cooler temps and shorter days to come back around.
Most people are familiar with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a seasonal depression that results in a lower mood during the winter for about 5% of people.
But it’s also possible to experience this type of clinical depression in the heat of summer, a condition known as summer seasonal affective disorder.
Also called reverse seasonal affective disorder (RSAD) or summer depression, the condition effects an estimated 0.57% of people, an analysis of multiple studies found.
While not a formally recognized medical diagnosis, those who develop the summer blues often have the same signs and symptoms as winter depression.
Showing up in late spring or early summer, these can include anxiety, irritability, insomnia, fatigue, restlessness, lack of motivation and social isolation.
They may also experience a loss of appetite in the summer (compared to eating more in the colder months).
So what causes people to be down in the dumps when it’s just so gorgeous outside?
Some studies suggest that both winter and summer SAD are caused by melatonin levels, the hormone that maintains the sleep-wake cycle.
Those with winter depression produce too much melatonin, while those with the summer disorder produce too little. Less melatonin could be the result of disrupted sleep from high temperatures, longer daylight hours and shorter nights.
Summer can also bring stress like the holiday season does, with planning travel and vacations or worrying about how much money is spent.
The warm weather may also bring about anxiety over the fear of missing out on social events, or dealing with worsened body image that might come with wearing less clothing.
“During (these months), you feel like you should always be doing more — whether that’s being more out and about, being active and doing all the things you see people do online,” Sophia Marren, a summertime sadness sufferer, previously told The Post.
“It makes me feel like I’m not doing enough and falling behind in life because I’m not ‘enjoying it’ as much as others…You feel less adventurous, less financially stable and less fun.”
Other causes can include changing schedules for those with seasonal occupations like teachers, seasonal allergies linked to inflammation or more alcohol consumption that can fuel feelings of anxiety and depression.
“For me, it’s the combination of heat, extra daylight and allergies,” said Lachrista Greco, a 40-year-old writer and librarian who was diagnosed by her psychiatrist several years.
“Why wouldn’t there be a summer SAD?” she added. “It makes sense to me that some people thrive during the summer and others thrive during the winter…Some of us would prefer to lie down in a gentle, soft snowpile rather than be burned alive by the sun.”
