Winter Blues
By the staff of Heartland Human Services
Do you dread the dead of winter? Do you find it depressing that it is already dark outside when you leave work at 5:00? For most of us, shorter winter days are a fact of life we cope with, through our grumbling, with little real difficulty. For some, however, the lack of bright light in winter causes serious symptoms of depression, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. Incidences of SAD are found the world over and increase with distance from the equator. Symptoms generally begin around September and last until April. Those who suffer from SAD commonly experience the following:
- Sleep problems: oversleep but not feeling refreshed, needing afternoon naps, trouble getting up in the morning.
- Overeating: particularly cravings for carbohydrates leading to weight gain.
- Depression: feelings of despair and anxiety making every day tasks difficult to complete. This also includes avoiding company, irritability and loss of libido.
- Lethargy: feeling drained of energy; everything seems to take too much effort.
- Physical symptoms: joint pain, stomach problems, and lowered resistance to infections.
Because SAD is a disorder brought on by a lack of sunlight, logically its treatment involves exposing sufferers to light therapy. Patients are exposed to a bright light every day using a light box or similar device. Usually exposure of this kind for 30 to 45 minutes daily is effective in lessening symptoms. The lights used are five times brighter than a well-lit office and are available through specialty companies such as Outside In. Simply using full spectrum lights has not been found to be effective. Another cure would be to spend the winter months in the Bahamas if you have the vacation time and means to arrange it!