- SAD symptoms include fatigue, loss of interest, and difficulty sleeping.
- Prevalence increases in northern regions of the United States where sunlight is reduced.
- Treatment options include light therapy, medication, and exercise.
As late fall and winter approach, shorter daylight hours bring more than just sadness to some people. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that gets worse during the winter and disappears as spring arrives and the days get longer.
mayo clinic The cause is unknown, but they report it may be “a decrease in sunlight that reacts with the body’s natural chemicals, such as serotonin and melatonin, which determine mood and energy levels and regulate sleep.”
Many people suffer from the so-called winter depression. That’s not sad. According to the Mayo Clinic, people with seasonal affective disorder have much more intense symptoms that can make it difficult to function “at home, at work, and in social settings.”
This condition is more common in the northern United States. Because there is less sunlight than in the southern regions. Estimates suggest that as many as one in 10 people in the North suffer from SAD, which runs in families and is more common in women.
What is seasonal affective disorder?
Among the symptoms:
- I have trouble concentrating.
- During months with less sunlight, people feel tired and fatigued, “including feeling a loss of energy almost every day.”
- Feeling worthless.
- You lose interest in things you used to enjoy.
- Feeling constantly sad or depressed.
- Sleep disorders can lead to too much or too little sleep.
- Weight gain or loss.
guardian People with SAD may especially want to eat more carbohydrates, she adds. And Cathy Wyze, a Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, told the Guardian that the biggest advance over the past decade was “the realization that seasonal changes in human mood are probably endogenous – that they are part of our physiology.”
According to The Guardian, “Wyse and her colleagues recently analyzed four years of UK Biobank sleep data from 500,000 people. ‘We found that in the winter people tended to sleep longer and that insomnia increased. Their sleep was not as good as in the summer,’ Wyse said. Wyse will present these results at the British Sleep Association conference in Brighton next week.”
The effects of reduced sunlight are known to be greater for people with bipolar disorder than for people without bipolar disorder.
How is SAD treated?
Among the SAD treatments Mayo recommends are a prescription for light therapy, antidepressants, exercising at least 20 minutes a day, and/or cognitive behavioral therapy, with instructions on how to use them.
Mayo says you can take preventive measures before symptoms begin, including increasing physical activity, spending time outside when the sun is there, keeping your environment bright, prioritizing sleep, socializing with friends and family, eating well, and avoiding drugs and alcohol that worsen depression. You can manage stress through techniques such as deep breathing, mindfulness, and meditation.
The Guardian recommends catching morning sunlight, a regular sleep schedule, avoiding screens late at night, and spending an hour outdoors during the day even on cloudy days, reframing “I hate winter” into “I can plan for winter.”
Perhaps most important is The Guardian’s final piece of advice: “Know when to ask for help.” If your mood, sleep or motivation has been lagging for several weeks or is interfering with your normal life, see a professional because SAD is treatable.
