Sophomore Maggie Tierney leaves for school each day at 7:00 a.m. from Woodridge just as the sun begins to rise. Due to the fact that only a few of her classes have windows, she does not see much of the sun during the day.
Her sophomore basketball team gets out of practice at 5:30 p.m. each day when it is usually dark. “I feel like my day is really short since I don’t see the sun,” Tierney said.
As Tierney and other high school athletes attend practice after school until around 6:00 p.m., he or she will not see the sun until the next morning.
As the sun provides the majority of our natural amount of Vitamin D, many students experience Vitamin D deficiency during the winter months.
“It’s harder getting to school, and since I’m on the basketball team and we practice everyday after school, I barely see the light of day.” senior Evan Jakobsze said.
Lack of sunlight can make it difficult for high school students to perform to their full mental capacity.
According to Dr. Aron Wolf, a psychologist at Langdon Clinic in Anchorage, studies suggest that as many as 20% of Alaskans suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a mood disorder triggered by light deprivation from Alaska.
This is due to the fact that Alaska gets only 100 amount of days of annual sunshine, while places like Colorado get 245 days.
With the winter months already being difficult with increased amount of homework and final preparation, students can experience an increase in the winter blues.
“Vitamin D deficiency can cause depression due to the lack of sun,” local psychotherapist Lori Andrews said. “SAD can also be triggered due to a change in climate or increase in stress levels.”
As high schools strive for their students to perform at full potential in academics and other activities, the building must look for ways to improve sunlight exposure for students.
“Light therapy and natural Vitamin D supplements are ways to help adolescents,” Andrews said. “However staying on a consistent body clock and increasing physical activity are the most significant ways to help minor aspects or symptoms of SAD.”
