As winter approaches and daylight hours become shorter, people who are prone to seasonal depression will begin to feel it in their bodies and brains.
as Winter is approaching and daylight hours are getting shorterPeople who are prone to seasonal depression may feel it in their bodies and brains.
“It’s a feeling of panic, fear, anxiety and fear rolled into one,” said Jermaine Pataki, 63, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
She is one of the millions of people estimated to have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Her coping mechanisms include yoga, walking, and antidepressants. She is also a member of a Facebook group for people with SAD.
“I try to focus on getting through this and helping others,” Pataki said. “This gives me purpose.”
For people with SAD, depression typically begins in the fall and symptoms ease in the spring or summer. Setting your clocks back to standard time this weekend could trigger SAD. A milder form of subsyndromic SAD is recognized by medical professionals, as well as seasonal depression that occurs in the summer, but less 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 and coined the term. “I think the acronym stuck because it’s easy to remember,” he says.
What causes Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Scientists are studying how specialized cells in our eyes convert the blue wavelength part of the light spectrum into neural signals that influence mood and alertness.
Sunlight contains a lot of blue light, so when your cells absorb it, it activates your brain’s arousal center, making you more awake and, in some cases, even happier.
University of Pittsburgh researcher Kathryn Locklein tested people with and without SAD to see how their eyes responded 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 the winter, light levels decrease and sensitivity decreases, so the light levels are too low for healthy functioning, which can lead to depression,” Rocklein says.
Miriam Cherry, 50, of Larchmont, New York, said 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 I suddenly feel sick.”
Is light therapy effective?
Many people with SAD respond to light therapy, says Dr. Paul Desan of the Yale Winter Depression Research Clinic.
“The first thing to try is light,” Desan says. “If you expose patients to bright light for about 30 minutes every morning, the vast majority of patients improve dramatically, and they don’t need any medication.”
This treatment uses a device that emits light about 20 times brighter than normal room light.
Research supports using a light of approximately 10,000 lux as a guideline for brightness. Research shows that you should use it for 30 minutes every morning. Desang said this could help not only SAD patients, but also those with less severe winter symptoms.
Special lights range in price from $70 to $400. Some of the products sold for SAD are dim and not very useful, Desan said.
Yale University Tested Products and Offers List of recommendationsa nonprofit environmental treatment center. consumer guide Even choosing the light.
If your doctor diagnoses you with SAD, contact your insurance company to see if the cost of the lights will be covered, Desan suggested.
What about talk therapy and medication?
Antidepressants are first-line treatments for SAD, as is phototherapy. Doctors also recommend maintaining a regular sleep schedule and walking outside, even on cloudy days.
The benefits of phototherapy may diminish if you stop using it. Research shows that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of talk therapy, has more lasting effects, said Kelly Lohan, a researcher at the University of Vermont.
CBT involves working with a therapist to identify and modify unhelpful thoughts.
“A very common idea people have is, ‘I hate winter,'” Lohan says. “Why not rephrase this to something as simple as, ‘I prefer summer to winter,'” she suggested. “This is a factual statement, but the effect on mood is neutral.”
Working with a therapist can help people take small steps toward having fun again, Lohan said. To bring yourself out of hibernation mode, try planning low-impact but fun activities. “It could be as simple as meeting a friend for coffee,” Lohan says.
What else might work?
People with SAD spend half a year developing coping strategies, and while there may be little scientific support, some have found hacks that work for them.
Elizabeth Wescott, 69, of Folsom, Calif., believes contrast showers can help. This is hydrotherapy, adapted from sports medicine, and involves alternating hot and cold water while showering. She also uses a light box and takes antidepressants.
“I’m always looking for new tools,” Wescott says.
Cherry, who lives in New York, dedicates a corner of her garden to the earliest blooming flowers: snowdrops, aconite, and hellebore. These bloom 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.”
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