Spring is finally in sight, and it can’t come soon enough for Coulee Region residents suffering from cabin fever.
Temperatures in La Crosse are expected to break into the 40s on Thursday and even top 50 by Saturday, capping the coldest March in 14 years.
The month has meant a double-edge sword for those with the late-winter blues. Longer days means more cheer-inducing daylight, but cold weather keeps folks indoors.
Mental health, and seasonal affective disorder in particular, can worsen when the sunlight-deprived days of winter minimize vitamin D exposure, said Jan Eriksen, Viterbo University interim chair of psychology.
The longer days of spring usually provide a reprieve, but when weather keeps people cooped up indoors, negative effects can drag out.
And more daylight might not alleviate general grouchiness.
“There is certainly a component where people are a little bit down,” Eriksen said. “Their expectations aren’t being met.”
Those expectations probably got a bit unreasonable after 2012’s record-hot March, which included a spate of 80-degree days.
The cold weather can also suppress exercise, which helps fight depression. To cope, more people have been filling area fitness centers.
“Absolutely we have seen an increase in our usage,” said Nate Hundt, the La Crosse YMCA’s communications director. “If the weather’s nice, we see a drop off in usage. If the weather isn’t nice, we see an increase.”
It hasn’t just been adult endorphin-seekers driving the increase. Children and families have been letting loose at the YMCA’s pool and gymnasium facilities.
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has seen a similar trend.
John Palmer, UW-L’s assistant dean of students, said that campus has “been a little quieter” without Frisbees flying on campus lawns.
While the weather hasn’t impaired any UW-L events that he knew of, it has kept the Eagle Recreational Center busier than usual.
For some, a long winter can extend exercise options.
This year’s above-average snowfall has been a boon for winter sports enthusiasts. Equipment rental at the UW-La Crosse’s Outdoor Connection and Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minn., was strong up until this weekend.
Cross country ski and snowshoe trail conditions have deteriorated, but they are still usable in some areas.
“If there’s snow, there are definitely people here,” said Cole Keesler, an Outdoor Connection employee. “It there’s no snow and it’s just cold, it’s pretty boring.”
For others, like cyclists, the snow can’t melt fast enough.
“The hardcore people are still out there riding,” said Erik Pueschner, a manager at Smith’s Cycling and Fitness, but a large portion wait for warmer weather.
Precipitation and ice conditions that present safety concerns for cyclists have improved. A local weekly group ride that usually begins at the daylight savings time switch was hoping to kick off the season tonight.
“You don’t want the road to be unsafe,” Pueschner said. “You can always dress for the temperature.”