So the other day I was visiting my father and something didn’t seem quite right. He was quiet, inattentive and short-tempered. He had bags under his eyes and his skin was unusually pale. I took him out to dinner, just the two of us, to find out what was wrong. After some small talk about school, work, home and the like, I asked, “So, why do you look so down?” He shrugged, “Oh, it’s just Seasonal Affective Disorder. I always get like this, you know.”
What? No, I didn’t know, but I just nodded anyway and let him change the subject. As I was driving home, I started to ponder this elusive disorder. I had heard of it before, but honestly thought it was just a marketing ploy to sell St. Johns Wart and full spectrum lights. Then I thought, do I have Seasonal Affective Disorder? So, I decided to look into it.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder that mimics common symptoms of depression during the winter months. SAD is caused by an underexposure to sunlight during the shortened days of winter. As the days become shorter our exposure to sunlight decreases, which doctors say causes our internal or biological clocks to change. Tick Tock Tick Tock.
Researchers have found that the body produces more melatonin when not exposed to light. This chemical is made by the body to induce sleep. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, it was unsafe for our ancestors to be roaming around at night, so their bodies developed a way to make them stay put when the sun went down. But us 21st century humans are up all hours of the day and simply can’t change our habits at the whim of our planets seasonal rotation. So many of us pay the price by developing SAD.
People who suffer from this condition report symptoms decrease or disappear in the springtime and return again in the fall. Also, over 90 percent of all SAD cases occur in the most northern or southern parts of the world, while few people in the tropics report symptoms. Therefore, people from say Maine may see their symptoms alleviated by a move to Puerto Rico.
The National Association of Mental Illness lists the following symptoms as possible signs of SAD.
– Desire to oversleep and difficulty staying awake, or in some cases, disturbed sleep and early morning wakening
– Feeling of fatigue and inability to carry out normal routine
– Craving for carbohydrates and sweet foods, usually resulting in weight gain
– Feelings of misery, guilt and loss of self-esteem, or occasional hopelessness and despair, or apathy
– Irritability and desire to avoid social contact
– Tension and inability to tolerate stress
– Decreased immune function, resulting in more frequent viral and bacterial infections
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So now I’m convinced I have SAD. I always want to sleep in, I’ve been craving pasta, I want to avoid people, and have had a sinus infection, two ear infections and a swollen tonsil for two weeks. So now what can I do about this?
Most sufferers and researchers advocate the use of bright light therapy. But not just any light will do. At least 2500 lux (lux is the technical measure of brightness) is needed, and a light that provides 10,000 lux is preferred. In contrast, a normal living room might be as low as 100 lux. Unfortunately, these kinds of lights can cost upwards of 200 dollars, making them out of reach of the average college student. There are other things you can do, though.
I always find I have a much more positive outlook after even a quick trip to the gym. Exercise is the best way to beat seasonal depression and is twice as helpful if done outside in sunny weather. Also, a change in dietary habits can help. Try adding omega fatty acid rich foods to your diet such as tuna, salmon, nuts and seeds, which will help digestion and brain function. Avoid gluten rich foods like potatoes, wheat based products and all refined grains. Instead emphasize complex carbohydrates like brown rice, millet, and beans, which will both calm and energize. Listen to your mom and eat lots of raw vegetables, and lastly, avoid all forms of sugar that can add to fatigue and a decreased immunity to disease. If the occasional jelly donut is your ultimate path to happiness, go ahead and indulge once in awhile.
So, now that I know what to do, I’m going to try to get better so that I can make it till spring, which in Maine could be a really long time. Or maybe I’ll just move to a Caribbean island.
Amy Bickford can be contacted at [email protected]