Learn How to Avoid the Symptoms of SAD
As winter approaches, daylight hours decrease
and hours of darkness increase. For most people,
during the winter it is hard to spend any time
in the sunlight. It is dark when you leave for
work in the morning and dark when you are commuting
home at night.
Unfortunately, decreased light
in winter results in a lack of the chemical serotonin
and increased production of the sleep-related
hormone melatonin, and symptoms of depression
can occur. This imbalance of chemicals is known
as seasonal
affective disorder (SAD).
SAD can affect anyone, but heredity, age and chemical makeup play a role in causing the disease. SAD is more likely to occur in young adults over the age of 20 and more likely to affect women than men.
Symptoms of SAD include:
- Regularly occurring symptoms of depression during the fall or winter months.
- Full remission from depression occurs in the spring and summer months.
- Seasonal episodes substantially outnumber non-seasonal depression episodes.
- A craving for sugary and/or starchy foods.
- Lethargy and fatigue.
- Sleep problems.
If you are experiencing the effects of SAD, you may be able to try at-home treatments, which include:
- Spending time outdoors during the daylight hours by taking a walk at lunch.
- Arranging the home and workplace to receive more sunlight or artificial sunlight.
If symptoms of SAD still persist, talk to your
doctor who may be able to prescribe phototherapy,
bright-light therapy or an anti-depressant if
necessary.
For more information about SAD talk to your doctor or visit The National Mental Health Association at www.nmha.org.
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