Causes Of Seasonal Affective Disorder
While the exact causes of seasonal affective disorder are unclear, most theories attribute the disorder to the reduction of daylight hours in winter. The shorter days and reduced exposure to sunlight that occurs in winter are thought to affect the body by disrupting:
Circadian rhythms. Your bodys internal clock or sleep-wake cycle responds to changes between light and dark to regulate your sleep, mood, and appetite. The longer nights and shorter days of winter can disrupt your internal clockleaving you feeling groggy, disoriented, and sleepy at inconvenient times.
Production of melatonin. When its dark, your brain produces the hormone melatonin to help you sleep and then sunlight during the day triggers the brain to stop melatonin production so you feel awake and alert. During the short days and long nights of winter, however, your body may produce too much melatonin, leaving you feeling drowsy and low on energy.
Production of serotonin. The reduced sunlight of winter can lower your bodys production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps to regulate mood. A deficit may lead to depression and adversely affect your sleep, appetite, memory, and sexual desire.
Summer of SAD
As with any form of depression, there can be many different causes and contributing factors for seasonal affective disorder. Always consult your doctor for an accurate diagnosis and see the lifestyle changes outlined below for help to boost your mood and manage your depression symptoms.
Is Light Therapy Safe
Light therapy is typically safe and well-tolerated. But you may need to avoid light therapy if you:
- Have diabetes or retinopathies: If you have diabetes or a retina condition, theres a potential risk of damaging the retina, the back of your eye.
- Take some medications: Certain antibiotics and anti-inflammatories can make you more sensitive to sunlight. Light therapy can then cause harm.
- Have bipolar disorder: Bright light therapy and antidepressants can trigger hypomania or mania, uncontrolled boosts in mood and energy level. If you have bipolar disorder, let your provider know. This will play a role in your treatment plan.
Stay Connected With Friends
Theres a definitive link between isolation and depression. Thats why getting together with valued friends is an effective way to combat the effects of seasonal affective disorder. So consider finding some creative ways to meet up with your friends, especially during the cool autumn and cold winter months, even if its just an online video chat.
There is no shame in seeking help. Seasonal affective disorder is a common condition that many of my clients have experienced. All of them have noted that once they decided to open up about it, they have been able to find treatment that works.
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Talk With A Therapist
If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, working with an online therapist can be a huge asset. A skilled therapist can teach you how to fight seasonal depression before, during, and after its occurrence. Talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are both effective in treating SAD, and success rates are high. Theres always hope for healing.
Schedule Your Life Around Self
As a mental health professional, I try to take the same advice I give to my clients: Schedule your life around self-care, Victoria Goldenberg, a psychotherapist and media adviser for the Hope for Depression Research Foundation, said of coping with seasonal depression.
What this entails is time management that prioritizes breaks and vacations, as well as tending to my own appointments and family needs, she said.
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Try Grandmas Best Remedies
Beyond the science-backed ways to deal with winter SAD, there are some home remedies that can support you, too.
Our grandmothers knew a thing or two about how to make it through the cold season with their heads held high and in good healthand its more than chicken soup and warm sweaters! Modern medical science is now confirming that many of the recipes and remedies that have been passed down through the ages actually work.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Sad
SAD is not considered a separate disorder but is a type of depression characterized by its recurrent seasonal pattern, with symptoms lasting about 4 to 5 months per year. Therefore, the signs and symptoms of SAD include those associated with major depression, and some specific symptoms that differ for winter-pattern and summer-pattern SAD. Not every person with SAD will experience all of the symptoms listed below.
Symptoms of major depression may include:
- Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
- Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
- Experiencing changes in appetite or weight
- Having problems with sleep
- Episodes of violent behavior
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How Do I Get My Sleep Pattern Back On Track
Getting your sleep schedule back on track is much easier to do than many people make it out to be. It does not involve depriving yourself of sleep at all. The simplest way to accomplish this is to set an alarm to wake up at the same time every day for a handful of days in a row.
After waking up, instead of staying in bed, get up and move to any other location in your home. This will make it much harder for you to fall back asleep and will create a sense of normalcy for your body to operate around. As you continue to wake up at that time, your body acknowledges that it is now supposed to wake up then, and will adjust the time that you begin to get tired in the evening accordingly.
Getting good sleep is essential for one’s well-being and can improve your mood drastically.
Are There Clinical Trials Studying Sad
NIMH supports a wide range of research, including clinical trials that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditionsincluding SAD. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so that others may be better helped in the future.
Researchers at NIMH and around the country conduct clinical trials with patients and healthy volunteers. Talk to your health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you. For more information about clinical research and how to find clinical trials being conducted around the country, visit the NIMH Clinical Trials page.
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Get In Touch With Your Creative Side To Process Your Feelings
For Brandon Knopp, a therapist at Alma, a co-practice community and virtual mental health platform, writing poetry during the winter months has been key to processing seasonal depression.
When I am feeling really stuck, I write poems about either my inner experience, or about something I notice in the natural environment around me, Knopp said. After writing my way through my depression, I often return to knowing that my inner experiences are always rich, no matter how comfortable or uncomfortable they are to sit with.
He added that this practice serves as a way to shift his perspective when dealing with discomfort and depression. In fact, studies have shown journaling can alleviate stress and symptoms of anxiety so pick up that pen.
Ways To Alleviate Seasonal Affective Disorder
Photo: Pond5
1. Soak up morning sunshine.According to Dr. Kalayjian, winter blues will be worst in the mornings when youre rousing yourself from bed. She tells clients to open curtains as much as possible to get exposure to natural light right when the body is waking up.
2. Maintain your routine.The most helpful thing is to try to keep up everyday activities, says Dr. Rohan. Once daylight savings time occurs, dont neglect your favorite hobbies just because winter spurs an impulse to hibernate. Youll feel better knowing youre still making it to your weekly book club, basketball game or brunch with friends.
3. Work it out.During a killer gym session, the brain works hard to override the temporary feelings of discomfort by telling the body to keep pushing. Youll naturally release endorphins, which will make you feel happier and even euphoric. A meta-review published in the American College of Sports Medicine Journal in 2013 suggested that, for some individuals, exercise might be comparable to therapy or anti-depressants as an effective treatment for depression.
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Photo: Pond5
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Get Details About How To Deal With Seasonal Depression
How To Deal With Seasonal Depression Depression can be one of the most challenging times of someones life. Sufferers often feel misunderstood, tired, and deeply unhappy. If these kinds of feelings sound familiar, youre not alone. Millions of people suffer from depression every day. Here are a few tips about dealing with depression that might be able to help.
If your income is low and you suffer from depression, try and find free or low-cost social services that can help you. Local governments offer community counseling services to those with low incomes, especially those who qualify for Medicaid. These community counseling centers can also provide free medication samples for those who cant afford to fill a prescription.
How To Deal With Seasonal Depression When you are trying to improve your depression symptoms, remember that it is a long road. Some people think that depression can be cured right away and get disappointed when their symptoms do not go away. Stay focused and be proud when each symptom slowly does go away.
If you are dealing with depression, slowly work on fixing some of the problems in your life. Many times, a problematic situation in your life is the reason for the depression in the first. Even if the issues didnt cause your depression in your personal life, a more leisurely life would make it simpler to deal with the depression.
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Move Your Body More Regularly
Being stuck at home during the winter months usually means that we move our bodies less than we do in the summer. And when youre feeling tired due to seasonal depression, of course the last thing you want to do is think about moving or exercising.
However, when you dont move much for prolonged periods of time, the energy and circulation in your body can become stagnant and cause symptoms such as fatigue, sluggishness, dizziness when getting up and general lack of motivation and energy. In many cases, we try to combat these symptoms by resting and sleeping more but that only makes the problem worse.
Instead of trying to rest more, maybe you would benefit from some form of light exercise to get your blood circulating and the energy moving through your body. Dont push yourself with high-intensity training or long cardio sessions in the gym. Simply try going for a 20-30 min walk everyday, start doing restorative yoga and stretching or find some other form of gentle movement that can ease you back in.
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See A Medical Professional
If you feel like youre developing seasonal depression, dont try to tough it out or suffer in silence! Talk to a mental health professional for a diagnosis and treatment plan. They can monitor your symptoms to make sure that the steps youre taking are treating you effectively.
A mental healthcare provider might also prescribe antidepressants to deal with SAD or to keep a milder case of winter blues from escalating.
At What Point Is It Necessary To See A Doctor
Most people with SAD have experienced the winter shift for years before identifying the seasonal pattern. And because they can firmly anticipate feeling better after several months, they may brush it off as a temporary burden, even though they can become quite dysfunctional. Others have sought treatment with antidepressants, often unnecessarily maintained year-round, because neither they nor their doctors have put a finger on the seasonal timing.
If symptoms are severe, that should prompt consultation with a primary care physician, a psychiatrist, or other mental health professional. The challenge for patients is recognizing when they should seek help and, if they do, making sure their provider has the expertise to supervise SAD-specific treatment. Responsibility lies both with the patient and doctor. I urge patients to document their symptoms with a set of free online self-assessment questionnaires from the nonprofit Center for Environmental Therapeutics. The printout of results provides a solid basis for guiding a consultation with a health care provider.
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Who Can Use Light Therapy
Most people can use light therapy safely. The recommended light boxes have filters that remove harmful ultraviolet rays, so there’s no risk of skin or eye damage for most people.
However, exposure to very bright light may not be suitable if you:
- have an eye condition or eye damage that makes your eyes particularly sensitive to light
- are taking medication that increases your sensitivity to light, such as certain antibiotics and antipsychotics, or the herbal supplement St John’s Wort
Speak to a GP if you’re unsure about the suitability of a particular product.
What Is Seasonal Depression
Seasonal Affective Disorder is the official name of the winter blues. Its a major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern that starts around the autumn season, when theres less sunlight, and ends around the start of Daylight Savings in March. This mental health condition can occur any time of the year, but winter is the most likely season.
SAD usually begins in adulthood. Your risk increases as you get older, and women are more likely to be affected than men.
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How Is Alcohol A Depressant
Alcohol is a depressant since it lowers your nervous system’s response time and affects serotonin and dopamine levels, which are two of the most important mood regulators and feel-good brain chemicals.
While people may feel an initial boost to their mood upon consumption, it is followed the next day by a crash fueled by a deficiency in the same two chemicals. This lack of serotonin and dopamine heightens feelings of anxiety and depression. If you feel like you need help managing your alcohol intake, you should not hesitate to make an appointment with one of our highly trained substance abuse counselors who can provide you with the help you are seeking.
Does Light Therapy Work
There’s mixed evidence regarding the overall effectiveness of light therapy, but some studies have concluded it’s effective, particularly if used first thing in the morning.
It’s thought that light therapy is best for producing short-term results. This means it may help relieve your symptoms when they occur, but you might still be affected by SAD next winter.
When light therapy has been found to help, most people noticed an improvement in their symptoms within a week or so.
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Track Your Daily Mood And Activities
Try to keep track of your mood, including when you felt a certain way and what you were doing at the time.
You can write this down in a journal, a calendar, or an app. Note when your feelings began and what triggered them. This strategy helps you identify patterns, allowing you to learn to manage them in the future.
Writing about your feelings can also help you find relief as you work through them immediately.
Consider also noting the strategies that have helped during those times. You can look back on what helped when these symptoms creep back in later.
How Can You Prevent Sad
If you have a history of depression, bipolar disorder or suspect that you may be susceptible to it, maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is helpful. Science has found exercise in particular helpful for easing symptoms of depression.
“Changing certain behaviors that exacerbate depression or SAD will reduce the chances of developing SAD depression,” said Amy Cirbus, a New York-based therapist. “For example, staying active despite lacking the motivation, exercising and eating healthy — even when you are not hungry. It is also important to reach out for support.”
McKinley added that lifestyle changes including 30 minutes of exercise a day, going outside to obtain sunlight, getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and avoiding drugs and alcohol, can help. “Decreasing screen time, meditating and connecting with loved ones are great ways to increase emotional well-being and decrease symptoms,” he added.Read more: Try Light Therapy to Manage Seasonal Affective Disorder
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Treatment For Seasonal Affective Disorder: Light Therapy
The mainstay of winter SAD treatment is light therapy, otherwise known as phototherapy. Light therapy aims to replace the missing daylight of winter by exposing you to bright light that mimics natural outdoor light. Daily exposure can suppress the brains secretion of melatonin to help you feel more awake and alert, less drowsy and melancholy.
Light therapy has been shown to be effective in up to 85 percent of SAD cases. However, the timing and length of exposure needed can vary according to your symptoms and circadian rhythm, so youll need guidance from your doctor or mental health professional to find the right dosage. Your doctor or therapist can also help you choose a light therapy product thats both effective and safe.
Light therapy has to be continued daily throughout the winter months to be effective. Starting light therapy before the onset of symptoms in the fall may even help prevent seasonal affective disorder.
Side Effects Of Light Therapy
It’s rare for people using light therapy to have side effects. However, some people may experience:
- agitation or irritability
- sleeping problems
- changes to your sight, including blurred vision
These side effects are usually mild and short-lived, but you should visit a GP if you experience any particularly troublesome side effects while using light therapy.
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