From VOA Learning English, health and lifestyle Report.
Autumn and winter have arrived in some parts of the world, and daylight hours are getting shorter and shorter. This lack of light can cause seasonal depression.
“it is, panicfear, anxiety and fear It’s all-in-one,” said Germaine Pataki. The 63-year-old woman from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, is one of the millions of people estimated to have seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
To cope with her symptoms, Pataki does yoga, walks, and takes antidepressants. She is also part of a Facebook group for SAD sufferers to help others cope with the condition. “This gives me purpose,” Pataki said.
People with SAD typically experience depression that begins in the fall and eases in the spring or summer. Setting clocks back to standard time in the fall in the United States can also cause SAD.
Medical experts say there is a milder form of SAD called subsyndromal SAD. There is also summer seasonal depression, but not much is known about it.
In 1984, a team led by Dr. Norman Rosenthal, then a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, first described SAD. He invented this term.
What causes Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Scientists are still studying the causes of seasonal affective disorder. They discovered that specialized cells in our eyes convert blue wavelengths of light into neural signals, or brain signals. These signals affect feeling and awakening, or vigilance.
Sunlight contains a lot of blue light. Therefore, when our cells detect this blue light, our brain’s arousal centers are turned on. We feel more alert and perhaps even happier.
Kathryn Locklein is a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. She tested people with and without SAD to see how their eyes reacted to blue light. SAD patients, as a group, were less sensitive to blue light than other people, especially during the winter. This suggests the cause of winter depression.
“During winter, light levels decrease and sensitivity decreases, so it may be too low for health. functioningIt leads to depression,” Lochrane said.
Miriam Cherry is 50 years old and lives in New York state. She spent the summer planning how to deal with winter depression. “It’s like clockwork,” Cherry said. “The sunlight is weak. The day ends at 4:45, but my mood suddenly changes. worst”
light therapy can help
Many people with SAD are sensitive to light. treatmentsays Dr. Paul Desan of the Yale University Winter Depression Research Clinic. The treatment device emits light approximately 20 times brighter than normal room light.
“The first thing to try is light,” Desan says. “When loading a patient, exposure When exposed to bright light for about 30 minutes every morning, the majority of patients dramatically Better. No medicine required. ”
There is research supporting the idea that using lights with a brightness of around 10,000 lux is effective. Lux is a unit of brightness.
Studies show that some people use this for 30 minutes every morning. Desang said this can be helpful not only for SAD patients, but also for people who experience less severe depression in the winter.
What else might work?
Experts suggest other treatments. Doctors often recommend antidepressants as first-line treatment for SAD. They also recommend going to bed and waking up at about the same time every day. Exercise, such as walking outside, is also effective even on cloudy days.
Kelly Lohan is a researcher at the University of Vermont. Lohan said another treatment option is talk therapy. The therapy, also known as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), has been shown in research to be more effective over the long term, Lohan said. CBT involves working with a therapist to identify and change unhelpful thoughts.
“A very common idea people have is, ‘I hate winter,'” Lohan says. She suggests people say instead: prefer From summer to winter. ”
Working with a therapist can help people take small steps toward having fun again, Lohan said. To beat the bad mood, try planning some low-impact but fun activities. Lohan said even just meeting a friend for coffee can help.
SAD patients have half a year to create a method that helps them. It may not be the subject of scientific research, but some people have found something that works for them.
For example, Elizabeth Wescott of Folsom, Calif., said she believes a type of water therapy can help. The 69-year-old uses hydrotherapy, which is used in sports medicine. When she takes a shower, she switches between hot and cold water. She also uses a light box and takes antidepressants. “I’m always looking for new tools,” Wescott says.
Miriam Cherry grows fastest in New York bloom flower. It blooms as early as February.
“This would be a sign to me that this situation won’t last forever,” Cherry said. “The weather is getting better and spring is approaching.”
That’s it health and lifestyle Report.
I’m Anna Matteo.
And I’m Andrew Smith.
Kara Johnson reported this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.
Quiz – How to avoid feeling depressed in winter
Start the quiz to find out
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words of this story
panic -yeah. sudden overwhelming fear
anxiety -yeah. state of extreme stress and anxiety
fear -yeah. fear that something might happen
feeling -yeah. How people feel. person’s emotional state
vigilance -yeah. ability to sense what is happening around you
worst -adjective terrible or frightening
treatment -yeah. Treatment of abnormal mental or physical conditions
exposure -yeah. the state of sensing or coming into contact with something
dramatically – subtitle a lot or to a noticeable degree
prefer –v. to like something better or best
bloom –v. produce flowers
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