If you’ve noticed that cooler weather and the associated reduction in hours of daylight make you feel down, you could have Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. This is a common condition, so you’re not alone. But that doesn’t mean you have to suffer just because so many others have the same issue. SAD is very treatable, and the solution can sometimes be surprisingly simple.
What Are the Winter Blues? Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is a chronic condition that occurs only at certain times of the year. It’s a form of depression that flares up when your body doesn’t get enough sunlight. The exact neurological processes behind SAD aren’t known, but essentially, the lack of sunlight initiates a chemical change in your brain that brings on this depression. There’s a summer form of SAD, too, where people become depressed as summer approaches, but that’s comparatively rare. Most cases of SAD are affected by low winter light.
SAD is often brushed off as being the winter blahs or winter blues. However, it can be debilitating. Even mild cases of SAD can interfere with daily life. SAD is more common in more northern areas of the Northern Hemisphere and more southern areas of the Southern Hemisphere — those regions that get much less sunlight in winter. And SAD can last for almost half the year, so getting the right treatment is essential for preventing any debilitating effects that could put your life on hold.
Signs and Symptoms of Seasonal Doldrums
Many of the symptoms of SAD mimic other forms of depression, including a loss of interest in hobbies, a down mood, social withdrawal, anxiety, and cognition issues like brain fog. You may experience weight gain, too. SAD can also make you tired, and that could be because there’s an increased production of melatonin during darker months. SAD can reach alarming levels, with some sufferers entertaining thoughts of suicide. Again, this isn’t just a case of minor winter blahs.
SAD can affect how well children and teens do in school and in their social lives. Rather than assume your teen is just being moody, you may want to have your teen speak to someone to find out if what they’re experiencing is SAD. Teen counseling in Ardmore, PA, can be beneficial and help teens deal with SAD in more constructive ways.
The Psychological Impact of Reduced Daylight Hours
Exposure to sunlight has been shown to be beneficial for mood, while a lack of sunlight has been shown to be detrimental to mood. The natural reduction in daylight hours in late fall and winter often leads to people feeling less well, but for those with SAD, the change can be devastating. Your circadian rhythm can be thrown off, your immune system can weaken, and the lack of vitamin D production can have its own side effects. Lack of exposure to the sun’s light can even affect your metabolism and make it easier for you to gain weight (and harder for you to lose that weight).
The Role of Light Therapy in Managing SAD
One of the best treatments for SAD is light therapy. This takes two forms; one is to get as much exposure to natural light as possible, such as sitting by a sunny window when you’re at work and can’t go outside. But there’s another type, and that’s one where you use a special lamp to replace the sunlight you’re missing. These light therapy boxes don’t emit UV rays, but they do emit bright light that mimics sunlight in other ways. The lamps available vary in how much light they put out, so you need to speak with your doctor or therapist about which type of lamp or light box to use. It also helps to undergo individual therapy in Philadelphia, so you can get coping skills to help you deal with SAD symptoms as your treatment starts to take effect.
Truth Center for Health & Healing helps people like you in the Philadelphia area deal with a range of mental health issues, including SAD. You do not have to just grin and bear it when you feel down during winter. If you think the reduced number of daylight hours is affecting your mood, contact the center to arrange for an evaluation.
