THIS washout summer is leaving us feeling grey.

Supermarkets say sales of winter comfort food are up, last-minute flights to sunny shores are being snapped up and those of us left behind are moaning about the rain.

No-one likes wet weather – but why is it making us so depressed?

Sarah Robinson, senior lecturer in psychology at Huddersfield University, says the rain is preventing people from expressing the ‘get up and go’ they would usually experience in summer.

Sarah, 34, said many people were experiencing seasonal affective disorder (Sad).

This is a low mood caused by the weather, which usually happens in the dark winter months.

She said: “Sad usually happens in winter, but people are now coming out with it in the summer months.

“It’s worse now because it’s summer and people have an expectation that it’s going to be sunny. But we have had lots of rain and it’s quite cold and people are having this restless depression because they can’t go out and do the things they expected to be doing.”

Sarah, who has been at the university for two years, has a particular interest in studies surrounding depression.

She said the weather was a major factor in people’s moods, affecting everything from libido to tipping taxi drivers.

“There are lots of ways in which the weather affects mood and behaviour,’’ she said.

“A study in America has shown that people are less likely to tip when they are feeling low. The way the weather makes us feel is linked to anti-social behaviour.”

So, how do you know whether or not you have Sad – or are just annoyed with the weather?

Sarah said: “You know you have Sad rather than just low mood when it is persistent and recurring in dark winter months.

“The symptoms include loss of libido, low mood and sometimes weight gain, because people with Sad tend to crave comfort foods and carbohydrates. Depression also means you can have memory problems and are lethargic.

“Women suffer from Sad more than men, perhaps because they tend to have more domestic labour or childcare responsibilities and they are forced even more to stay indoors when the weather’s not good.”

However, if you are down in the dumps, there are things you can do to cheer yourself up while we wait for the rain to stop.

Sarah added: “There’s quite a few things you can do to improve your mood. Sad can be severe or mild. In mild cases the kind of things that will be beneficial are surrounding yourself in a pleasant environment with bright colours, listening to upbeat music and eating healthily.

“People with severe levels of Sad can get referred for things such as light therapy, where they are exposed to light 10 times stronger than that from an electric bulb to simulate daylight.

“There’s lots of links between exercise and alleviating depression.

“Exercise releases endorphins which are linked to positive moods. Research shows that in summer months people take more exercise. But they haven’t been able to do that so easily because of the weather.

“When your mood is low motivation tends to not be there, so it can be a vicious circle. But it is a good idea to try to do something.”