Seasonal Affective Disorder - Daylight Starvation?

Dreading the winter? Struggling to get through grey and miserable days? Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Previously called the Winter blues, seasonal depression, is a mood disorder increasingly recognised by medical professionals, affecting millions of people worldwide.

As Summer gives way to Autumn and then to Winter, the days grow greyer, the daylight hours less. Many people find themselves lacking in energy and motivation, feeling lethargic and yes...depressed.

seasonal affective disorder - therapy lamp

What are the Symptoms of SAD,
Seasonal Depression

The depression-like symptoms of S.A.D can include:

Sleep problems - oversleeping but not refreshed
Fatigue
Irritability, behaviour problems
Weight gain
A heavy feeling in the limbs
A craving for sweet and starchy foods
Avoidance of social situations

Symptoms are at their worst in the darkest months. A growing number of people suffer from the lack of bright light in the winter and the change in circadian rhythms. Human circadian rhythms are affected by low light levels, and artificial light is nowhere near high enough to excite human circadian rhythms -1000 lux is believed to be the required lighting intensity.

Waking in winter darkness, working inside all day and returning home in the dark (to low artificial lighting) deprives the body of nourishing natural light. Light is also linked to serotonin a neurotransmitter in the brain, and serotonin levels are linked to depression. Serotonin levels have also been shown to increase with exposure to bright light.

Additionally our body clock is controlled by a substance called melatonin (produced in the pineal gland.) The bright emerging light of daybreak stimulates the pineal gland to stop producing melatonin and to wake up. Short ciruiting this production by lifestyle and modern day living can bring about the sleep problems associated with seasonal affective disorder, resulting in the characteristiclethargy and fatigue.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) differs from general depression. It is characterized by

recurrent depressions that occur annually at the same time each year.'
symptoms present themselves through the winter months and disappear in the spring - some sufferers liken it to a 'hibernation response.'

SAD was first defined in 1984 by NA Rosenthal who published his findings in the Archives of General Psychiatry on the use of light therapy to treat symptoms of seasonal depression.

In the United States up to 6 in every 100 people experience this form of Winter Depression while in the U.K. estimates suggest that over 2 million people suffer from the condition, commonly known also as the Winter Blues

More prevalent in Northern geographic areas, particularly those with less daylight winter hours. The reported age of onset varyies between early adulthood and older but it is agreed that Seasonal Affective Disorder SAD is more prevalent in women than men.

What is the Treatment for SAD / the Winter Blues?

Exercise, particularly outdoor activity gives some relief to symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, especially on brighter or sunnier days where the body can lap up those solar rays.

seasonal affective disorder - sad lamp Light therapy (phototherapy) is one of the most widely used and effective treatment for this type of depression, though duration and intensity of the light to be used remains controversial.

'Light boxes' or full spectrum lights used for around 30 minutes daily have proven to combat SAD symptoms. Guidelines suggest regular exposure, morning and night to a sufficiently bright light (approx. 25 times as bright as a normal living-room light). Smaller lights are cheap to run and even the more powerful ones cost only pennies/cents per hour.

seasonal affective disorder - dawn simulator

SAD - Dawn simulators mimic natural waking

Be woken gently with the light from a 'bodyclock or natural light alarm clocks' also referred to as 'dawn simulators.'

There are many different models at prices to suit all pockets, and running costs are low (only a few pence/cents per hour.) Dawn simulators help to regulate your sleep/wake cycle and are therefore best used every day, all year round.

NOTE:Though you may like to top up your tan in the winter months and this will likely have a positive effect on your mood, the light from tanning beds is not a recommended treatment for SAD.

And of course you may be able to take a leaf from nature and copy our feathered friends ....fly South for the winter. I can vouch for spending short periods in a climate characterized by bright light, such as the Caribbean, or the Mediterranean can achieve similar results.

Return from Seasonal Affective Disorder to Happiness 'Pirates'

Winter Wonderland

winter snow sledding
It's a long climb up again!

winter oak tree
Snow-laden Oak

Seasonal Affective Disorder or symptoms of a deeper unhappiness?

I suffered SAD symptoms for a few years. I dreaded and hated the winter. Longing for brighter days, brighter colors, blue skies and happiness, I spent as much winter time as possible in Spain.

The depression symptoms were debilitating and I believed I'd never tolerate an English winter again. Then the light dawned. My year had become only 2 seasons, Winter and Summer. In my own underlying unhappiness I had come to completely discount Winter and Spring, (though Spring is really my favourite season.)

The diary of delights will revitalize your interest in the beauty in your life.(even on winter days)

No more Spain. I now welcome the beauty of each day, whatever the season. Each one has its own special qualities and whilst the bright light theory holds true, I urge you to consider if there exists for you an underlying unhappiness or discontent with your daily life.