I like to debunk health falsehoods because that’s what I’m supposed to do. So about three or so years back, I did a holiday story taking a look at the common belief that more suicides occur between Thanksgiving and New Years Day.
In fact, I learned, and wrote, that the heaviest suicide time starts in late spring and peaks in June-July.

Now, a research team studying suicides in Greenland has found that their suicides peak at the time of the year when the days are longest and warmest, spring through mid-summer. Also, suicides increased the farther north people resided, meaning longer summer days. Then, alcohol consumption and homicides did not increase during that same time. They picked Greenland for it’s very high suicide rate.
Why? The study’s abstract didn’t go in depth, and only presented numbers. However, considering that two of the three researchers were sleep disorder specialists, guess what.
Examination of sleep problems is growing as medical science increasingly finds maladies linked directly to sleep — even obesity. And, mental health has long been associated with seasons and sleep disorders.
Add to that, I just learned that SAD, aka, seasonal affective disorder – has two versions: One is the depression you feel when you don’t get enough daylight during winter months; the other is depression when there’s too much daylight.
I’m throwing all those variables out there not to draw conclusions. I have no idea why summer SAD is in the same room with a peak in suicides while winter SAD has a higher rise in depression but a dip in suicides. I’ll leave that to smart people.

But it does reinforce what I’ve learned over the years, While I don’t know what’s hurting people who eventually commit suicide during what’s supposed to be the most pleasant, fun time of the year, getting enough sleep — 8 hours a night, and sleep in on days off — won’t hurt and it can help. Maybe all you need is a long nap with the cell phone turned off.

Find the study, “Accentuation of suicides but not homicides with rising latitudes of Greenland in the sunny months,” in the British medical journal Psychiatry.