Even if you’re a big fan of snowy mornings and cozy nights, winter can sometimes bring on the blues.
The shorter, colder days cause millions of Americans, particularly those who live in the northern part of the country, to feel fatigue, depression and other symptoms that may indicate seasonal affective disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Though serious cases of SAD can require medical or mental health treatments, experts say getting a splash of warm sun at this time of year can help with milder cases of the winter blahs.
“If you fly south, you’re flying to an environment where the sun comes up earlier and goes down later, so you are getting a very powerful, immediate change in the circadian stimulus,” said Dr. Paul Desan, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine.
“A tropical vacation may really help you,” he added. “It’s not your imagination.”
You don’t have to travel too far or spend all that much to reap the benefits of a sunny midwinter boost. Here are six easy warm-weather getaways.
beaches
San Juan, P.R.
About 15 minutes east of Old San Juan, the oceanfront community of Condado offers beaches where you can sunbathe, swim, body surf and more in temperatures that reach the 80s in midwinter.Credit…Scott McIntyre for The New York Times
