http://www.care2.com/greenliving/winter-depression-sad-starts-now-what-to-do.html
Winter Depression (SAD) Starts Now: What to Do
By Matthew Solan, Natural Solutions
For 12 years Helena Davis’ life resembled a light switch. When daylight-saving time arrived in spring, it flipped on–she felt energetic, focused, and active. In winter, however, it switched off. She struggled to do the simplest household chores. Her weight ballooned. She could go to work and function at some level, she says, but it was obvious that something was wrong. “All winter I felt like a slug moving around in peanut butter,” says Davis, now 64.
She finally realized that her mood change coincided with her move to upstate New York, an area with few sunny days. A visit to her doctor filled in the diagnosis: Davis was one of 10 million to 25 million Americans, 75 percent of whom are women, who suffer from a subtype of depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
You’ve no doubt heard of SAD. Also called “winter blues,” it often gets mistaken for clinical depression as the two share many symptoms–sadness, anxiety, lethargy, lack of sleep, diminished sex drive, and increased appetite. The difference lies in their duration and severity, according to Norman Rosenthal, MD, author of Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder (The Guilford Press, 2006). SAD typically strikes around September or October and then fades away in March and April. (Depression on the other hand can occur year-round.) Merely troublesome and potentially disruptive at first, SAD can be controlled if you take appropriate action, but “left unchecked, the changes in mood and behavior can become so powerful they can create significant problems in your life and may manifest into year-round major depression if not addressed,” says Rosenthal.
Light therapy
The primary cause of SAD is light deprivation, so light therapy ranks as the first line of defense. Light boxes contain white fluorescent bulbs behind a plastic UV filter, and regular use can reset your body clock and increase serotonin. Effective light boxes generate 10,000 lux (a measurement of intensity); to put that therapeutic amount in perspective, traditional lighting produces 300 to 500 lux, and the sun produces more than 100,000 lux on a bright summer day.
Rosenthal recommends using light therapy for about 20 minutes a day at first, ideally in the morning. How early depends on the individual’s body clock, says Michael Terman, PhD, who heads the Center for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York.
If you suffer from SAD, try placing a light box 1 to 3 feet away while you eat, read, go through your mail, or meditate. If your symptoms remain unchanged, increase your treatment to 45 minutes a day, says Rosenthal. Reevaluate your symptoms on a weekly basis and make adjustments. “You should feel the effects within two to four days,” says Rosenthal. “Almost everyone should feel the benefits within two weeks.” (Find light boxes at lightforhealth.com or litebook.com.) Brighten up your living and work space with full-spectrum light bulbs that closely match natural daylight.
Diet and exercise
Dietary changes also can ease SAD symptoms, says Chris Krumm, ND, LAc, of the Bastyr Center for Natural Health, near Seattle. For breakfast, Krumm advocates a high-protein meal to boost intake of tyrosine. “Consuming this amino acid in the morning helps boost your energy throughout the day,” he says. For dinner, Krumm suggests less protein and more carbohydrates like whole grains to help the brain synthesize serotonin. “In addition to improving your mood, increased serotonin may help people sleep better,” he says.
You may want to add more fish to your diet, too, especially cold water types like mackerel and salmon that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. People with depression often have low levels of omega 3s. A 2001 study found a correlation between increased fish consumption and decreased incidence of SAD in Iceland.
Davis has found that staying active in winter helps her feel less lethargic. She’s chosen a treadmill inside a brightly lit gym, but don’t be afraid to head outside. On bright afternoons, go for a long walk or run. Got more time? Climb on a bike or break out the skis. “You’ll get your required light exposure and also some exercise, which can help alleviate stress that may contribute to SAD-related depression,” says Rosenthal. Research in BMC Psychiatry found the combination of bright light exposure and aerobics reduced many depressive symptoms, especially those related to insomnia and other sleep problems.
Next: Sweet dreams and SAD symptoms
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41 comments
add your comment »What if you live somewhere that is never cold? There is no 'winter', really.
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Well one of my neighbors were packing up the moving van yesterday. Woot woot! :-D
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There is a saying - drive me crazy....and neighbors can do just that. I wish that they would move away but they will just be replaced by other annoying people. It's a pattern here in the city. I need a trampoline.
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Jon, I am so sorry that you have to live near that as well. How frustrating it must be for you too. It's horrible that people do those sorts of things. It's like why have an animal if you keep them chained to trees and such???? You know.
*HUGS* to you my friend. I hope you can get through this one day and hopefully your neighbors will move away.
I have a song that I sing at the top of my lungs in my kitchen as I'm jumping on my mini-trampoline. The windows are closed but I know that people can hear me. I sing:
"Get out, get out, move away. Get out, get out, we don't want you here! Get out, get out, move away!" Then I threaten to call the police and I yell out their house addresses and pretend like I'm calling the police. So I read off their name and house numbers and have a conversation (pretend) with the police. Yes, that's right officer. It's going on yet again. LOL!
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Cheri,
I feel for you. I have neighbors that keep their dogs penned up and never walk them. They don't even have yards. The frustrated dogs bark all day and the moron neighbors work on cars that don't have mufflers. An every day life that seems it might just drive me crazy sometimes.
We wonder why so many people are on drugs or depressed, or both.
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I get so sick of feeling like it's midnight at 5 PM in the evening when it's pitch dark outside. I am one that lights being out in sunlight, however, I keep my home shut up mostly all year round, as I don't like a lot of noise and my neighborhood is so noisy that I have to keep a fan on at night to block out the barking dogs that irritate me because their owners are worthless creeps that keep them either chained to trees or locked in garages.
Plus, I live on a street where my backyard shares other backyards with people that are all drug addicts and alcoholics and it's so frustrating to me.
I live in a very unsafe part of town and there is no chance of me ever moving because I have no money. I have tried St. John's Wort before, however, I haven't taken that in a long time.
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I swear by ST.Johns Wort. In the winter and on rainy days it gives me a lift and I seem to focus better.
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MoodBoost Drink has helped me deal with SAD and other times when my mood was low. It contains 5-HTP, Vitamin D, B12, Rhodiola Rosea, Selenium, and Zinc. That does the trick for me. It's not so much that it is a "happy" pill but it does lift my mood and I have the energy for things I otherwise wouldn't have when I'm down. Never tried the lights at home but tanning beds work also well when you are really down and didn't see sunshine for a long period of time.
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So, what do you do for SAD if you have an autoimmune disease?
I'm suppose to stay out of that kind of light.
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SAD can also be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT also has the benefit of decreasing the risk of relapse (and without the use of medications).
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