By comparison, even on the year's shortest day – the winter solstice on Dec. 21 – people in Washington, D.C., wants to get almost 9 hours 30 minutes of daylight; in Miami, 10 hours 31 minutes. In Portland, Oregon, it's 8 hours 42 minutes and in Billings, Montana, 8 hours 40 minutes.
Many find that the season's shorter days and longer nights affect their health. About 5 percent of the population develops seasonal depression, according to Mental Health America. Reduced amounts of daylight trigger the somewhat milder "winter blues" in another 10 to 20 percent, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, affects women more often than men; 4 out of 5 people with SAD are women. It also affects people under 30 more often than older people. Symptoms include typical signs of depression ̵
If relocation is an option, consider heading south. The closer you are to the equator, the lower your risk for seasonal depression.
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