Seasonal Affective Disorder

Winter is a miserable season for nearly 10 million Americans. Reduced amounts of sunlight during winter's short days causes mood and behavioral changes known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which makes routine living seem difficult. Depression, fatigue, and food binging are common among those who suffer from this disorder.

SAD is further complicated by the fact that many of us spend too little time outside in natural light. Added to this is the fact that when many of us do go out, we wear sunglasses, spend our working days in artificially lit buildings only to return home in the evening to end our day under still more artificial light.

For some, particularly in he North, this starts in October, where it affects 30% of the population vs. only 8% in warmer climates. If you experience moodiness, depression, or lethargy that lifts as sunlight once again returns in the spring, consider the possibility that you may have SAD.

Few of us realize that, like water and air, light is a nutrient that naturally raises serotonin levels in our brain. Serotonin is a neurohormone that has been shown to alleviate depression and/or pain levels.

To lessen the effects of SAD, try some or all of the following:

Increase the intensity of the lights in your house with Chromalux bulbs or full spectrum lights from Verilux lighting systems.
Exercise aerobically to burn calories and release those fell good endorphin hormones.
Take a walk and enjoy the fresh air on bright, sunny, winter days. Stay outdoors with no sunglasses. 60 minutes is ideal, 15 is the absolute minimum to reap some positive benefits.
Make like a migratory bird and head south for a vacation. The further south the better!
Treat yourself to a massage. Massage helps the body relax, creates endorphins, increases serotonin levels, lowers stress, and increases immune response. It's also cheaper than a vacation and all the attention is on you while the therapist does all the work!

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