SAD
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Like sUK’s Dog o plants, humans are affected by and respond to the amount of light we receive. In the winter months, when it’s bloody dark and depressing, the amount of melatonin (a sedating type of hormone) in our bodies increase up to five times as much.
Bright light ordinarily causes our bodies to stop producing melatonin, but in the winter not enough sunlight is received to trigger this response, causing “winter blues”. If serious, it could become SAD, where symptoms of depression—feeling as if one is constantly on tranquilizers—increase. Other symptoms include erratic sleeping patterns, daytime drowsiness, a lack of sex drive, feelings of guilt and a bleak emotional state and an inability to complete tasks.
Treatment suggestions:
• Keep all your blinds and curtains open all day and night
• Take a long and rigorous mid-day walk. The exercise will boost your mood
• If you can afford it, take a short trip somewhere sunny. This will also give you something to look forward to
• Reduce your fat, alcohol and caffeine intake, cut out sugar, wheat and fried foods and load of up on raw fruits and vegetables. Be sure to include salmon and white fish as well as soy products and brown rice
• Find a new hobby or make plans so as to make sure your days are full - giving you less time to sit around doing nothing
• Light therapy is the most common method of curing SAD. Expensive light machines or special bulbs using full-spectrum fluorescent lights mimic the effects of sunlight on the brain. But these tend to be quite costly and are usually suggested for very serious winter depression.
Like sUK’s Dog o plants, humans are affected by and respond to the amount of light we receive. In the winter months, when it’s bloody dark and depressing, the amount of melatonin (a sedating type of hormone) in our bodies increase up to five times as much.
Bright light ordinarily causes our bodies to stop producing melatonin, but in the winter not enough sunlight is received to trigger this response, causing “winter blues”. If serious, it could become SAD, where symptoms of depression—feeling as if one is constantly on tranquilizers—increase. Other symptoms include erratic sleeping patterns, daytime drowsiness, a lack of sex drive, feelings of guilt and a bleak emotional state and an inability to complete tasks.
Treatment suggestions:
• Keep all your blinds and curtains open all day and night
• Take a long and rigorous mid-day walk. The exercise will boost your mood
• If you can afford it, take a short trip somewhere sunny. This will also give you something to look forward to
• Reduce your fat, alcohol and caffeine intake, cut out sugar, wheat and fried foods and load of up on raw fruits and vegetables. Be sure to include salmon and white fish as well as soy products and brown rice
• Find a new hobby or make plans so as to make sure your days are full - giving you less time to sit around doing nothing
• Light therapy is the most common method of curing SAD. Expensive light machines or special bulbs using full-spectrum fluorescent lights mimic the effects of sunlight on the brain. But these tend to be quite costly and are usually suggested for very serious winter depression.
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