Perimenopause and the Winter Blues: Is It Hormones or Seasonal Affective Disorder?
January can feel… heavy.
The holidays are over. The excitement is gone. The weather is cold and dark. And suddenly, motivation is nowhere to be found. If you’re feeling low, irritable, exhausted, or emotionally flat right now, you might be wondering:
Is this just winter? Or is something else going on?
For women in perimenopause, the answer is often both.
Hormonal changes can amplify the effects of winter in a way that feels confusing—and sometimes discouraging—especially when you’re already doing “all the right things.”
Here’s what’s actually happening in your body, how perimenopause and winter blues overlap, and what can help you feel more like yourself again.
Why Winter Feels Harder in Perimenopause
Perimenopause is a time of fluctuating estrogen, and estrogen plays a role in far more than reproduction. It directly affects your brain chemistry, mood, sleep, and energy levels.
One key connection? Estrogen and serotonin.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood, motivation, and emotional stability. Estrogen supports serotonin production and receptor sensitivity. As estrogen levels fluctuate and decline during perimenopause, serotonin activity can dip as well—making you more vulnerable to low mood, irritability, and anxiety.
Now layer winter on top of that.
Shorter days and less sunlight mean lower natural serotonin production and disrupted circadian rhythms. For some women, this shows up as classic seasonal affective symptoms. For others, it feels like a vague emotional fog:
Low motivation
Feeling “blah” or disconnected
Increased anxiety or irritability
Cravings for sugar and carbs
Trouble sleeping or staying asleep
Fatigue that doesn’t match your effort
If this sounds familiar, you’re not lazy, broken, or failing your New Year goals. Your body is responding to hormonal shifts plus environmental stressors.
Is It Perimenopause or Seasonal Affective Disorder?
It can be hard to tell where one ends and the other begins—because the symptoms overlap so much.
Seasonal affective patterns are typically tied to reduced daylight exposure, while perimenopause-related mood changes are driven by hormonal fluctuations. But in midlife, they often coexist.
A few clues that hormones may be playing a role:
Mood changes that showed up or intensified in your 40s
Symptoms that fluctuate month to month
Sleep disturbances paired with hot flashes or night sweats
Emotional sensitivity that feels new or unfamiliar
The good news? The strategies that support one often help the other.
The Vitamin D Connection
Vitamin D is another major player here. It acts more like a hormone than a vitamin and supports mood regulation, immune health, and inflammation control.
During winter—especially in northern climates—vitamin D levels tend to drop significantly. Low levels are associated with:
Depressive symptoms
Fatigue
Weakened immune function
Increased inflammation
Many women in perimenopause are already low in vitamin D, and winter can push levels even lower. This alone can contribute to feeling flat, tired, and unmotivated.
A simple blood test can check your levels, but in the meantime, gentle supplementation and vitamin D–rich foods (fatty fish, eggs, fortified foods) can be helpful.
Why Light Matters More Than You Think
Light exposure plays a huge role in regulating your internal clock. Morning sunlight helps signal to your brain that it’s time to be alert, focused, and energized. Without it, cortisol rhythms can flatten, and melatonin (your sleep hormone) can shift at the wrong times.
In winter, less morning light can lead to:
Grogginess that lasts all day
Afternoon energy crashes
Difficulty falling asleep at night
Increased low mood
This is where light therapy can be a game-changer. Even 20–30 minutes of bright light exposure in the morning—whether from natural sunlight or a light therapy lamp—can improve mood, energy, and sleep quality.
Stress, Cortisol, and Emotional Burnout
January often comes with pressure: new goals, new routines, and a sense that you should be “back on track” by now. That pressure alone can raise cortisol.
In perimenopause, cortisol becomes especially influential. When stress stays high:
Estrogen and progesterone struggle to do their jobs
Mood becomes more reactive
Sleep suffers
Energy drops further
This is why pushing harder rarely works right now. What your body actually needs is regulation, not restriction.
What Actually Helps (Right Now)
You don’t need a full overhaul. Small, supportive shifts can make a meaningful difference:
Morning light exposure, even on cloudy days
Balanced meals with protein, fiber, and healthy fats to stabilize blood sugar
Gentle movement like walking, yoga, or strength training
Consistent sleep and wake times, even on weekends
Stress-lowering rituals, like breathwork or quiet mornings before screens
These habits don’t just support mood—they help calm your nervous system and stabilize hormones.
You’re Not Failing—Your Body Is Asking for Support
Mid-January doesn’t need more discipline or willpower. It needs compassion and structure that works with your physiology, not against it.
If you’re feeling stuck, depleted, or discouraged right now, it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It means your body is navigating a transition—and it needs steadiness, not pressure.
🌿 A Supportive Next Step
If you’re navigating perimenopause and dealing with things like sleep issues, mood swings, low energy, bloating, or weight gain, a gentle reset can make a real difference.
My 5-Day Perimenopause Relief Plan is a simple, supportive starting point.
It focuses on small, realistic daily micro-habits — nourishment, movement, light exposure, and stress support — designed to help your body feel less stressed and start responding again.
No extremes. No pressure.
Just simple habits that support real relief.
You don’t need to force motivation or discipline.
When your body feels supported, everything else becomes easier.
