Ever realize how much harder it is to get out of bed in the winter, when the days are shorter, and the morning still dark? Or even when it is dark and stormy out, and the clouds are covering up the sun.
According to Dr. Alfred Lewy, a professor of psychiatry at Oregon Health and Science University and an expert on seasonal depression and light therapy, our natural clock is usually longer than our actual 24 clock and the light we see in the morning is what sets it and keeps it on track. Since morning is generally later in the winter, our natural rhythm adjusts to that. However, since we are not able to adjust our lives to when dawn comes, we can fix the change by using light therapy for as little as 30-45 minutes before we start our day.
So for the millions of Americans who suffer from these "winter blues", light therapy can be extremely affective in dealing with the disorder. Patients can usually just deal with the disorder by sitting in front of a light box.
Light therapy has also been seen to help people with sleep disorders, whose natural clock is interrupted due to irregular sleeping patterns. Light also affects our hormones, which in turn, affects the brain’s hypothalamus, which is involved in regulating mood, energy and appetite.
Although light therapy is seen to be very effective for S.A.D., many people do not have the patience to since around for 30-45 in front of a light-box in the morning. Also, if you're anything like me, you'd rather sleep for the extra minutes. So just remember, try to get as much light light as you can this winter! Do homework in a well lit place, take walks during the day when the weather isn't too harsh out. Take a trip to California, or some place sunny. Just remember, make sure you stay warm this winter, but also make sure you get plenty of light. You might just start enjoying the season a whole lot more.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/15/health/policy/light-boxes-may-help-melt-those-winter-blues.html?ref=science
Although winter is my favorite time of year, I have to admit that I too struggle with the "winter blues" finding myself getting tired earlier in the day and struggling to get up the following morning. In addition to light therapy there have been other ways that have been suggested in order to take away some of the negative effects of the winter season. Because serotonin is altered during the winter months, which appears to be the primary cause to the symptoms of SAD, the obvious solution is to boost the serotonin levels in the brain. This can be done in a natural way by eating sweet or starchy non-fruit carbohydrates at the right times of the day. By eating carbs with little protein or fat, serotonin is produced in the brain. The problem with this solution is that the better mood and increased energy levels that accompany eating these foods only lasts for a few hours, and once the effect wears off, you again are stuck in the winter blues. In order to escape from the confines that winter often brings, if only for a few hours, eat foods that will maintain your mental functioning when the sun is out. These include fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy products. Then when the sun goes down switch to the foods that will produce serotonin. By balancing your food intake at certain meals you can not only improve your physical health, but also increase your mental health during the sometimes difficult winter months.
ReplyDeleteDespite the many reasons to be cheery (Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day) during the gloomy winter months, depression seems to definitely take a hold of many people. As students, we see this problem play a role in classroom attendance--as the semester dwindles into the colder months, attendance appears to slip, not necessarily a direct result of "laziness" but because of seasonal affective depression.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to light therapy, sufferers should be sure to exercise regularly. Physical exercise helps relieve stress and anxiety, both of which can increase seasonal affective disorder symptoms. Being fit can also make you feel better about yourself, which can lift your mood.
One popular fad during winter months is increased use of harmful tanning beds. Because of the new light therapy, tanning bed enthusiasts have claimed this can be an alternative to the light therapy boxes. UV rays exposure promotes vitamin D synthesis in the skin. That is why those who visit tanning salons have noticed mood enhancement and continue to tan in order to maintain the state of "well-being." Nonetheless, it is widely known that the effects of the UV exposure are not always the most desirable ones. If going to tanning salons becomes routine, then UV exposure may result in premature skin aging and skin cancer.
Thus, experts say the best ways to beat the winter time blues are to get outside in natural sunlight during the day, maintain regular sleeping patterns, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly.
Growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana, just 30 degrees north of the equator, did not prepare me for the brutal Chicago winter or the ominous cloudy days that I encountered my Freshman year at Loyola. I had heard stories about the "winter blues"and assumed I could easily manage them by working out and staying busy. In reality, there were deeper biological processes influencing my mood.
ReplyDeleteSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) affects half a million people every winter, and three out of four sufferers are women. One link to the majority of women having the disorder could be the neurotransmitter Melatonin.
Melatonin regulates women's reproductive cycle and also regulates peoples' circadian rhythm or "biological clock". Melatonin is secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. Our circadian rhythm can be thrown off by the decrease in sunlight that ensues during the winter months. The longer periods of darkness produce more melatonin throughout the day causing extreme fatigue. Increased fatigue produces some of the negative effects associated with SAD such as depression, sleep problems, and overeating. This might explain how the freshman fifteen can easily turn into the freshman forty when attending school in Chicago. The increase in melatonin can also produce irregular hormone cycles in women, since it plays a crucial role in the reproductive cycle, often times enhancing the symptoms of SAD. Because melatonin plays an integral role in these two processes of the brain, it is easy to see how one might link melatonin levels to SAD. Although this link is not explicit in medical literature, it is something to think about.
So, as I entered my freshman year with optimism about the dreaded winter I was quickly overruled by the biology of the brain. This year, I will invest in UV light bulbs and hope for the best once again.
I love the winter season, but getting ready for classes in the morning or events on the weekends are less pleasurable as in the summer. I am taking Abnormal Psychology 331 right now and we go over S.A.D. Our professor gave us amazing tips on how to keep energized throughout the winter sadness. Ever since I've been doing my homework in the sunnier side of my apartment where warm fuzzy sunlight comes in, I've been more productive. It's interesting how popular S.A.D. is relative to popular belief. So when you run into a grouchy friend in the winter cold, go to a warm place indoors with sunlight and watch the winter blues disappear for free, without spending on light boxes!
ReplyDeleteStarting the new semester in an un-air-conditioned apartment made me long for the crisp winter days where I could actually control the temperature of my bedroom. But the price of comfortable living is that I may just fall prey to S.A.D. I've known about it for awhile now, being well into my psychology curriculum here at Loyola, but it never seemed like anything more than a mild annoyance. However, in order to eat this year, I've taken on the dreaded night job. When most people are sleeping I'm awake, locked inside a dimly lit retail outlet for 6-8 hours. Switching from a really early morning job, started at 3 a.m., to a night job where I start at 11 p.m., my sleep schedule was already doomed. In the past few months I haven't exactly reached my stride yet, and I wonder if I ever will. But with the specter of the ever-decreasing day looming on the horizon, I wonder just how bad I'm going to feel this winter. Most of my sleep is gained during about half the viable daylight hours of the winter. So even on my best days, I may only be active for 4-6 hours during the daylight, most of which is spent in fluorescent classrooms. I really have no idea how this is going to affect me. I really hope I can get through it all but I won't know until it happens. All I know for sure is that it's going to be a long winter.
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