Does the Time of Year Affect Depression?
Although it is a relatively recent disorder, it has been around as long as we have.
Seasonal Affectedness Disorder, aka SAD, is a common winter malady.
It can affect anyone who lives above or below the equator, but is found in greater and greater numbers the closer you get to the poles.
There are a few ways to treat this problem, but the most common is light therapy.
We seem to require a certain amount of time spent in "normal" sunlight.
When we don't get enough, it affects our bodies in several ways.
While scientists are not exactly certain how it works, bright light therapy does seem to be very useful.
What happens when we spend to much time in a dim environment is that we reset our daily clock.
It either goes ahead or stays behind schedule, which can interrupt hormone levels, cause difficulties sleeping or waking up and generally mess us up.
It was thought that regular room light might be enough, and if the problem is fairly minor it could be.
However, very light sensitive people require much brighter lights...
by up to fifteen percent.
Sessions may run between fifteen minutes and three hours, depending on the needs of the patient.
This next part may surprise you, but those in the northern and southern climes also fall prey to summer SAD.
It's a case of too much is about as bad for you as too little.
That is a little easier to deal with, as it is a lot easier to darken a room than it is to brighten it sufficiently.
While light therapy in winter can help with many of the problems SAD brings along, there are two other things you should do in order to fight this problem.
One is exercise and the other is diet.
Along with your normal routine in this department, you may want to add foods high in tryptophan, an amino acid found in turkey, mushrooms and many other foods.
Vitamin D supplements may also be useful, as your body generally manufactures that vitamin through sunlight.
This is even more important if you rarely drink milk, which is often fortified with D.
If you think you have depression of any sort, don't wait.
See your doctor and find out what it is so that it can be effectively treated.
There is no stigma to it, and there is no need to continue suffering, especially if the answer is as simple as that of SAD.
Seasonal Affectedness Disorder, aka SAD, is a common winter malady.
It can affect anyone who lives above or below the equator, but is found in greater and greater numbers the closer you get to the poles.
There are a few ways to treat this problem, but the most common is light therapy.
We seem to require a certain amount of time spent in "normal" sunlight.
When we don't get enough, it affects our bodies in several ways.
While scientists are not exactly certain how it works, bright light therapy does seem to be very useful.
What happens when we spend to much time in a dim environment is that we reset our daily clock.
It either goes ahead or stays behind schedule, which can interrupt hormone levels, cause difficulties sleeping or waking up and generally mess us up.
It was thought that regular room light might be enough, and if the problem is fairly minor it could be.
However, very light sensitive people require much brighter lights...
by up to fifteen percent.
Sessions may run between fifteen minutes and three hours, depending on the needs of the patient.
This next part may surprise you, but those in the northern and southern climes also fall prey to summer SAD.
It's a case of too much is about as bad for you as too little.
That is a little easier to deal with, as it is a lot easier to darken a room than it is to brighten it sufficiently.
While light therapy in winter can help with many of the problems SAD brings along, there are two other things you should do in order to fight this problem.
One is exercise and the other is diet.
Along with your normal routine in this department, you may want to add foods high in tryptophan, an amino acid found in turkey, mushrooms and many other foods.
Vitamin D supplements may also be useful, as your body generally manufactures that vitamin through sunlight.
This is even more important if you rarely drink milk, which is often fortified with D.
If you think you have depression of any sort, don't wait.
See your doctor and find out what it is so that it can be effectively treated.
There is no stigma to it, and there is no need to continue suffering, especially if the answer is as simple as that of SAD.
