Sleepy Sleeperson

Early to bed

Early to rise

Keeps me, from punching you,

Right between the eyes.

Just kidding.
Sorta.

With a long history of working in restaurants, bars and nightclubs I developed, not surprisingly, the habits of a night owl. In hindsight, (that's always 20/20 ya know) I think living that night life may have kept some of my SAD symptoms at bay. By living and working a fast paced life in the dinner and club hours, my machine may not have known the days were dreary and dark, and when the long nights were at their peak, I was smack dab in the middle of the busy season, holiday parties, huge reservations and the ever popular, New Years Eve.
 I was also probably (ahem) unknowingly self-medicating with alcohol under the guise of the holiday spirit.
Alas
Those night owl days are no longer.
And those hours, without the lifestyle, do not do anyone with SAD any favours. In other words, being a nightowl with a couple to three drinks every night does not a grown up make.

It was by luck that I discovered the early to bed rule.
A work/life obstacle  necessitated me to rise at 5 - 5:30 for a couple weeks to get all chores crossed off the list...well low and behold if I didn't actually feel better, less tired (same amount of sleep) better mood (like NOT wanting to put a bullet in my head) and fewer carb cravings, and the only thing different in my routine/regimen/religion was my sleep time. Bed by 9 - 9:30 and up EARLY (4 -4:30 was common)

So

I stuck with it. Until April-ish and then resumed my usual nighthawkish ways.

The next year (2010) I implemented the early bed - early rise schedule at the end of October. And wouldn't you know the doom n gloom demon stayed away. Sing it with me - - "Awe-some"
(until my whole routine fell apart in late January, then, so did I...but that was last year. Never backwards, always forwards)

This winter the rule is in effect, and I do notice if I sway too much away from it then I start feeling lousy (read: I hate my life) and quickly get back on track.
I've been trying to find some scientific research that helps explain/reason this Tool in my SAD Sack - but nothing has surfaced as of yet.  Instinct says I'm playing a trick on my brain by bookending the short days with night - but there are flaws in the theory -
If I come across some hard proof, I'll be sure to share the link, but for now...perhaps just give it a try for a couple weeks and let me know what you think.