Karl, you’ve done it again. Thanks to you, another August BBQ in San Francisco will include a knee-length parka instead of my summertime daisy dukes.
Like most city newbies, my introduction to Karl, the not-so-affectionate name given to SF fog, hit me like the marine layer does at Ocean Beach in July. By now I’ve learned to never leave the house without multiple layers packed, no matter how sunny it is outside. But over time, I’ve noticed a negative impact on my energy and enthusiasm for the world during summer in the city.
The root cause behind the cold blanket of fog has to do with a large part of what makes the city so beautiful in the first place. Being surrounded by water, most notably the Pacific Ocean, on all but one side means that the cold moisture-laden air of the Pacific meets up in San Francisco with the hot summer air sweeping off the surrounding mountainous Bay Area. The result? A thick, dense blanket of fog that’s as reliably present in the summer as that street-cleaning ticket you’ve learned to include in each monthly budget.
While the rest of the Bay Area gets to soak up the summer sun, the city’s weather is consistently the opposite. Instead of romping around outside from dawn to dusk, oversleeping, antisocial feelings and sluggishness tend to set in for many, making the idea of summertime blues feel all too real. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, was first formally documented in medicine in the ’80s. It’s most commonly experienced in winter months, when the amount of sunlight in a single day decreases, and its associated lethargy and sleepy tendencies are thought to have been encouraged from an evolutionary perspective. As the days became shorter and food more scarce, our ancestors were able to survive by doing less. And when the sun began to shine more during the summer months, they were able to stay active later in the day and flourish. It’s thought that our brains actually became hardwired to follow the sun’s rhythm — active in the sun’s presence and dormant in its absence.
While the spectrum of side effects is large, the general cause is not. Sunlight affects our brain, and as the amount of sunlight varies, the effect on our mood can change too. It’s thought that melatonin, the hormone responsible for triggering one’s “I need sleep” reflex, may have something to do with the dramatic side effects experienced by those affected by SAD. A study in 2001 by the American Medical Association found that those diagnosed with seasonal depression actually experienced a longer release of melatonin at night. Interestingly, a similar correlation has also been documented in animals that hibernate during winter months.
“It’s just a bummer. When it’s warm and sunny everywhere else, but Karl is around SF, I just know it’s going to be a rough day.”
Currently, the symptoms of clinically diagnosed SAD can range from heightened agitation to decreased libido to suicidal thoughts. While conclusive evidence isn’t (yet) available that shows that San Francisco’s residents are affected, anyone who has spent a few days in the fog knows what it feels like.
“A sunny day in the city is the best — on those rare days when I wake up to the sun, I immediately get a burst of energy that keeps me happy throughout the day,” said Edward Carrick, a longtime resident of the Inner Richmond. When asked about how the fog impacts his mood, he said, “It’s just a bummer. When it’s warm and sunny everywhere else, but Karl is around SF, I just know it’s going to be a rough day.”
With the range of SAD symptoms varying so significantly, the remedies currently offered follow a similar pattern. From daily walks to versions of light therapy to antidepressants to psychotherapy , a range of options is available if you really need it.
While Karl’s effect on each SF resident has yet to be determined, experts in the field have indicated that a version of fog-induced SAD is possible. Nicola Smylie, an investigator scientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England, studies how the brain controls our body clock. “Your 24-hour, or ‘circadian,’ clock in your brain is crucial for coordinating what time things happen in your body,” she explained. “It relies on strong sunlight cues to synchronize your internal clock with the outside world. It’s possible that persistent heavy fog, such as that in San Francisco’s summer months, could disrupt this light-dependent process and resulting bodily functions, which, in turn, could impact more complex processes such as mood.”
Whether you feel it or not, the summertime fog of SF most likely won’t be going away anytime soon. Beyond consulting medical attention, there are other ways for you to break the seasonal slump. The hills of San Francisco present a unique opportunity for anyone interested in taking an urban hike. More often than not, the sun may be shining, or at least somewhat available, in low-lying neighborhoods like the Mission and SOMA. And thanks to public transit, escaping to Oakland or Berkeley for even just an afternoon is possible. And for those who are forced to endure the thick mist, studies have shown that even turning on a bright light in the office can help alleviate seasonal depression.
Whether you stay indoors and cope or make some moves and evade Karl, the summer months are temporary, and we shall overcome. Besides, daisy dukes are overrated anyway.
If you’re suffering from depression or having suicidal thoughts contact your medical care provider.
Hey! The Bold Italic recently launched a podcast, This Is Your Life in Silicon Valley. Check out the full season or listen to the episode below featuring Alexia Tsotsis, former co-editor of TechCrunch. More coming soon, so stay tuned!
