I really struggle with my energy in the winter. Around the end of September I suddenly change from bursting with energy, racing up the hills, enjoying a few MTB events, doing 100-mile rides on my road bike, etc, to feeling utterly drained. Once our evening rides are done in the dark I’m almost nauseous with tiredness.
I have an office job but I try to get outside for a walk during the day and I carry on riding my bike but it feels like such an effort. And my mood plummets with it.
Does anyone else find this? Do you fight it or accept it?

I do, Vicky. Added to it all is the pressure I put on myself to winter train: “winter miles is summer smiles” I lie to myself, and then wonder why I need a nap 🙂

Its vexed me for years. There’s some (not very good) research to indicate that it might be a remnant of semi-hibernation that early humans used to make it through the winter, before we developed fire and other ways of enduring severe cold.

Here you go:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16061329

So maybe its just the way we are? This year I’m feeling it a bit but trying to stave it off with:

Vit D supplements
Riding in the day if I can (even some sunlight exposure is good)
Resting more
Zwifting when I can’t get out
Accepting that it may be somehow metabolic

I’m more tired certainly but not as down. The major helper seems to be daylight exposure; like you, I work in an office and if I’m not careful I won’t see daylight, so take the time to get outside if you can.
If I go down further, I’ll be investing in a SAD light.

I have an office job but I try to get outside for a walk during the day and I carry on riding my bike but it feels like such an effort.

Well that’s because it is an effort. Unless you’re lucky enough to get one of those rare sunny dry days, riding your bike in the cold wet weather is a grim affair. I’m no medicine doctor but I wouldn’t be surprised if the beneficial hormones (adrenaline, dopamine) released by riding in nice weather simply aren’t there during the winter on account of the grimness of it all.
Last big ride I went on started off dry and then turned into 4hrs of driving rain, headwinds and misery in the hills. I got a sense of satisfaction from completing my loop, but no real enjoyment.

If you enjoy being fit, being active and pushing yourself perhaps find another sport that’s more suited to winter. Avoiding the winter slump is the main reason I returned to training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It’s hard to balance two addictive challenging sports but once you get used to the idea you can be a cyclist and something else, it’s great. Another activity will mean you can choose to exercise without choosing to get cold and wet.

Guy i work with has completely rejigged/rebuilt the house for his wife, their bedroom, living room and kitchen are now almost greenhouses (all the walls that can have windows are pretty much completely glazed, plus glass panels in the roof), so masses of natural light when it’s available. Also replaced all the bulbs with those daylight things (they have really heavy blinds and suchlike for the summer). It’s massively helped with her issue (it was driving/helping along some pretty full on depression, including hospitalisation and suicide attempts) i’d guess there is some medication involved as well. He’s right on the coast (less than 50m from the sea) so gets virtually no snow, we get loads where we are, which helps massively when everything is white and bright even with low levels of natural light. Though a snow free winter can be a bit draining.

Unless you’re lucky enough to get one of those rare sunny dry days, riding your bike in the cold wet weather is a grim affair

I know I loads of people feel this but I certainly don’t ride to train but I do commute every day and snatch weekends bikepacking and I really enjoy riding in wet windy weather. We don’t really have cold weather in SW Wales. It’s certainly more enjoyable than not riding and commuting by car. I guess it’s because my job is now mainly office based so I crave outdoor time.

I find inactive drizzly weekends depressing but if I go bikepacking on a wet weekend I feel much better and happier and feel that I have made the most of a crap weekend. Obviously I’d rather go in crisp winter sunshine or the summer….

Cod liver oil? I buy the big glass bottles of seven seas and have 2 big teaspoons every day at breakfast. Don’t really know why, but I’m suspicious of the capsules, quantity and freshness maybe? Seems to help and I also feel a bit more flexi as a side effect. Its too cheap and easy not to try.

I’ve been taking vitamin D for a couple of months and I think it’s helped a bit.

Jimjam- I used to do loads of other sports: gymnastics, squash, football, running, circuit training but I had a back injury and was advised to stop most of those sports. I eventually had a spinal fusion but running still hurts my back. Plus I have a dodgy wrist which means I had to stop most upper body exercises because it hurts to lift weights or do press-ups.
I suppose I could do more on the turbo trainer in a brightly lit kitchen, but even that feels like a huge effort. I love exercise, always have done, even in bad weather, so this is very frustrating.

If you enjoy being fit, being active and pushing yourself perhaps find another sport that’s more suited to winter.

yeh I do this, more swimming and yoga this time of year. I did buy a fancy new light in the sales several weeks back to tempt me back to more night riding but I’ve only used it twice! Energy wise I’m not too bad but winter riding is a tougher affair ’cause of the ground conditions, I don’t do road and the local trails can get rather muddy to say the least. 17-20 winter miles is way more tiring than 25+ summer miles. Off road wise It’s actually much better when it gets properly cold and the ground freezes solid, then it’s like riding in summer but just cold instead which I really like.

I feel similar at this time of year. However I’ve spent a fair bit of time on turbo this autumn so am feeling vaguely pleased with myself for that! I’m currently on here as I’m supposed to be going for a run… 😀
In my case I just tend to feel lethargic for a couple of months rather than some full blown depression/SAD thankfully. My mum used to basically hibernate for a few months.
I love getting out on cold crisp days – Cumbria just seems to go having a couple of weeks of grey mizzle at moment!

I just like to hibernate at this time of year. Certainly productivity goes right down for about 2 months here either side of the winter equinox. But then my job is outdoors so there is very little that can be done after about 4.30 in the evening.

On top of that I am just a big old bear 🙂

vickypea – Member

I’ve been taking vitamin D for a couple of months and I think it’s helped a bit.

Jimjam- I used to do loads of other sports: gymnastics, squash, football, running, circuit training but I had a back injury and was advised to stop most of those sports. I eventually had a spinal fusion but running still hurts my back. Plus I have a dodgy wrist which means I had to stop most upper body exercises because it hurts to lift weights or do press-ups.
I suppose I could do more on the turbo trainer in a brightly lit kitchen, but even that feels like a huge effort.

Well I sympathise as I feel like a tangled mess of broken and torn bits most of the time. It’s very hard to strike a balance between injury, mobility and fitness. I just know that’ll I’ll always feel worse, physically and mentally if I allow myself to become idle.

I love exercise, always have done, even in bad weather, so this is very frustrating.

You’re not alone, I’m sure loads of people feel exactly the same, myself included. Another thing worth pointing out is the social aspect – a lot of people fall away during the winter and you go from being part of a group to a loner (for some people anyway).

It’s the bear in me, too. I sleep more in Winter, have less energy, catch colds, have more aches and pains. It’s perfectly natural, or I’ve always thought it so. Other mamals hibernate or migrate, I’ve migrated but perhaps not far enough, Winter has less effect on me at 43°N than it did in Wales. I’ll perhaps try a Winter in la Novelle Calédonie one day and see if that eliminates the Winter slow down.

I’ve lived with Seasonal Affective Disorder for ~25 years, everything requires so much more effort from September to March! While cycling this year has helped, pushing myself out of the door is harder, but somehow I have not got around to setting up my Pharos Max light box this winter… Which is rather silly of me.

Used to suffer from SAD quite badly. Getting outside however grim the weather is helps massively, much easier said than done but once your out there it doesn’t seem that bad. I had October to January unemployed one year, on paper it should have been depressing as I was fast running out of money but everyday whatever the weather I was either outside sorting the garden or I was riding.
Now when I feel myself getting down and lethargic I go for a walk round the block or do a zwift session. Even though it’s indoors a hard zwift session always picks me up.

I suffer from what I recon is SAD. On a sunny day life is wonderful! I feel confident and alert and happy. This autumn/winter until recently I’ve not suffered too badly but we were having quite a few sunny, crisp days between the grey ones.

We’re at the shortest day point now and the last couple of weeks have been really grey and damp and I’ve been feeling much more sluggish and anxious. I’m sitting next to my sad lamp now. I also have a dawn simulator alarm clock. I think it helps me get up easier on those dark mornings. Other coping mechanisms to help me through the next few months will be membership for a health club/gym, playing on the x box to make the long dark evenings pass quicker and a holiday in the sun in February.

Tomorrow we’re off to America where the forecast is bright sunshine and minus temps and slightly longer daylight so I’m quite interested to see how my mood changes with this.

I had October to January unemployed one year, on paper it should have been depressing as I was fast running out of money but everyday whatever the weather I was either outside sorting the garden or I was riding

I get that. I moved back to the UK from years in the Caribbean in late August years ago. I was dreading the Winter. But I was on dad duties for a year taking kids to nursery on the bike and going for walks down the beach. I was outside loads and the winter passed quickly and I was happy. The next year back working, leaving the house in the dark and getting home in the dark was much harder.

Funny thing is that I used to live in Bolivia. The wet season was mainly sunny but with exciting storms from time to time and I loved it. In the dry season it was always sunny. I used to get fed up of blue sky and even felt a bit homesick. I remember one day we had a cold misty wind from the south and the skies clouded over and it was grey and damp. I suddenly felt at home and happy.

Good time of the year to expand your repertoire of recipes.

Maybe invest in a Dutch oven or tagine.

It probably won’t be a success at first, so persevere!

I’ve been back in the “grim north” for a month now and pretty much every day has been grey, damp and miserable. I’ve only been out on the bike about four times, as I just can’t work up much enthusiasm for riding in such uninspiring conditions.
I prefer to go walking or, even better, do some trail finding/clearing/improving work – probably in the hope that it will encourage me to ride more, but even if it doesn’t, I suppose some hardier souls will benefit.

If I had a riding mate or two who’d drag me out it would be easier, but 90% of the time I’m out on my own.

You may be taking the wrong vitamin supplement ..I have an injection every 12 weeks of vitamin b12…
Marmite is also a good source ..have a word with your GP..

Only good thing is the cold weather keeps the scum quotient down a bit.That was till the Christmas mania kicked in.Now cold,with mad shopping/drinking crowds of citizens !

In essence “it is what it is”.

“Thinking and ruminating” that it should be another way is the problem. And then trying to force that change rather than let it happen naturally.

Accept it for what it is. If you feel fatigued – you “feel the fatigue”. No fighting it, otherwise you can end up fighting it forever!

Felt like carp today after junk food.

Bought a load of fresh green veg and chicken for steaming.

Rather eat Xmas grub.

Just to cheer everyone else up on this thread I’m swimming 2km 3-4 times a week, riding on the road three times (did 65 miles today) and having subscribed to Zwift a couple of months ago, am racing or training on there on the days I don’t ride on the road. The only supplements I take is one multivitamin a day.

Never had so much energy! 😆

Yeah, thanks forzafkawi, a smug post about how great things are for you is just what I need to make me feel better

As has been said get your vitamin d levels checked. You may need a supplement. Certain foodstuffs when eaten together can help with vitamin D absorption.

vickypea – Member

Yeah, thanks forzafkawi, a smug post about how great things are for you is just what I need to make me feel better

Not smug but you did ask:-

Does anyone else find this? Do you fight it or accept it?

Would it make you feel better if the whole World was suffering like you?

Certainly worth trying Vit D. many of us have less than optimum levels – mine were 1/4 of the norm.

You may be taking the wrong vitamin supplement ..I have an injection every 12 weeks of vitamin b12…

Did you have your levels of B12 checked first? Just wondering if I should ask my GP about that?

“Would it make you feel better if the whole World was suffering like you“

Of course it doesn’t make me feel better to hear that other people are suffering but what makes you think that telling me everything is wonderful for you when I’m feeling crap would cheer me up? It would be totally different if you said you’d had a similar problem but managed to overcome it, or contributed in some way to the discussion.
It’s like for example, someone saying they are upset over a relationship problem and you pop in just to tell them that your relationship is great.

Winter drags. I will be digging out my SAD light too. My office has no windows which could be a good thing as I don’t notice it is already dark outside.

Being honest I’m not quite sure how that occurred but a chat with your GP wouldn’t harm ..
From conversations that I have had most other patients tell the doctor / nurse that they are ready for their top up ( every 12 weeks ) and that it gives them a boost ..but truthfully I don’t feel any different ..