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Treating SAD Naturally

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Dreading January & February?

I had never heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder before I moved from Texas to Iowa.  That makes sense since Texas is a fairly warm state down south.  Iowa, on the other hand, was a 13-hour drive north and had much more severe winters with shorter days than I had ever known.  Fast forward 2 years, and imagine my surprise when I moved to northeast Scotland- we were definitely not in Texas anymore!  All of a sudden, Texas seemed like Cancun in comparison.  Aberdeen, Scotland is as far north as Moscow- during the winter we get 7 hours of sunlight- if the sun is out!  That means I can walk my daughter to and from school in the DARK!

Not surprisingly, millions of Americans suffer from a seasonal form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder (also known quite appropriately as SAD).  While not at all exclusive to ex-pats overseas, those in higher altitudes can suffer more severely since they have even less sunlight.  However, the general rule is that SAD typically affects people as a result of less sunlight, regardless of geography.  Not getting enough sun alters the mood and can have serious consequences: depression, anxiety, lethargy, and loss of interest in life.  Usually SAD subsides as the days get longer again in the spring.  However mild or serious the case of SAD is though, it’s important not to struggle alone or feel that there’s nothing you can do.

Warm Up & Brighten Up!

If you’re like me, knowing there are others who also suffer is encouraging- I guess misery loves company.  Plus, I love knowing there are some more natural way to counteract SAD that don’t involve a prescription or side effects. Here are some home/work remedies you can try out.

  • Warm up! Winter is cold.  Plain and simple.  If you don’t have access to a thermostat or find that you are still cold, there are some great ergonomic products made just for you!  You won’t need them all, but just using a heated keyboard, heated mouse, or heated foot pad will keep your fingers and feet (the outer extremities of your body) toasty warm and much more likely to keep working well.  Plus, you won’t dread coming to work or feel the need to dress in 17 layers.
  • Brighten up! Whether you don’t like the dark, or, like millions of others, you actually suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), adding light through the use of light therapy is sure to brighten your work space and your mood!  An improved mood usually aides in productivity.  Plus, it’s portable, so you can take it home with you for the long evenings and late-to-arrive mornings, too.  Many people enjoy them in their kitchens.

Don’t dread these early months- make the most of them by staying warm and feeling less depressed even if you suffer from SAD.

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Treating Seasonal Affective Disorder {SAD} Naturally

December 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Seasonal Affective Disorder, commonly and appropriately referred to as SAD, can be quite debilitating.  Like post-partum depression, SAD can be triggered in a way that feels out of nowhere and affects daily life tremendously.  Even people who have never suffered from depression before can be hit hard by SAD and never even realize what it is or why they’re struggling so much.  Ask yourself:

  • Am I feeling atypically depressed?
  • Am I tired and am I sleeping more than usual?
  • Do I feel anxious for seemingly no reason?
  • Is it winter?
If it’s winter time and you answered yes to any of the above, you might be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Keep reading for a simple definition, symptoms to watch out for, and how to treat SAD.

What is SAD?

Seasonal Affective Disorder, often referred to as SAD, is a form of depression that comes with winter and leaves with spring.  Essentially it hits as daylight wanes and the days get shorter. As much as one-fifth of Americans suffer from SAD, the most frequent victims are those who live up north or in high altitudes since the days are even shorter there.

What are the Symptoms of SAD?

  •  Depression
  • Increased fatigue
  • Sleeping more than usual
  • Feelings of anxiety

How Can I treat SAD?

You can try medications, though some are more helpful than others and almost all carry side effects you may or may not be okay with.  Alternatively, you can try to wait it out until spring since SAD does subside when more sunlight is available.  This is risky, though, because you are wagering your ability to cope for several months on a calendar.  In the contrary, a natural way to treat SAD is to try light therapy which involves purchasing a special light which replicates the rays of the sun. The person suffering from SAD sits in front of this light with their eyes open. This light is not found in normal incandescent household lights, and must be purchased exclusively for this type of therapy.  The light can be moved from room to room or even taken to the office.  A great bonus for light therapy is that it can be bought over the counter and does not have side effects.

* Regardless of which route you take, it’s wise to visit a doctor to talk through your feelings.

Whatever type of therapy you decide to try in your battle against Seasonal Affective Disorder, it is important to keep in mind that it is treatable. Light therapy is one of the most straightforward and natural solutions for people who suffer from this disorder.

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Seasonal Affective Disorder & How to Deal with It

December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Feeling sad might be more than a feeling…

Now that Thanksgiving is over and December is upon us, it’s easy to feel “blah” this time of year.  It’s cold, it can be dreary, and there’s less day light.  I live in northeast Scotland, as far north as Moscow.  Yikes.  That’s not a lot of day light- about 7 hours a day.  When you only get a third of the day, all the days start to feel pretty “blah.”  As a result, whether far north or not, many people suffer from depression and lack of energy during this time of year.  While you can blame the weather, there may also be another cause: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  SAD is a legitimate form of depression that most often occurs at this dark time of year.  As many as 20% of adults in the U.S. suffer from SAD each year.

Seasonal affective disorder can often be recognized by the following symptoms:

  • Decrease in energy
  • Increase in sleep
  • Feelings of depression
  • Moodiness
  • Anxiety
  • Changes in appetite

Unlike other forms of depression, SAD usually subsides as the seasons change {thank goodness for that!}. However, if your symptoms continue, or if you experience severe depression that keeps you from participating in your daily life, talk to your doctor immediately.

Dealing with SAD

Waiting until spring comes may not sound like the best solution to serious feelings of depression.  As you wait for the groundhog to see his shadow, light therapy is a natural treatment that can help treat seasonal affective disorder.  Light therapy is a legitimate means of counteracting SAD.  Light therapy works by exposing you to bright, full-spectrum light that closely mimics sun light. A short period of exposure, often around 30 minutes, helps modulate the levels Serotonin in your body. Serotonin contributes to feelings of well-being and is often called the “happiness hormone”. It also regulates appetite and sleep.  Happy Light Therapy is a great example of a light box that is small and easily portable so you can use it wherever you are.

Light therapy is a good alternative to simply suffering through SAD, especially when medication does not seem like the best option. Addressing the problem can help you maintain a more consistent mood and motivation level all year long.

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Get Rid of your “Winter Blues”

January 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Do you often feel “blah” at this time of year? I live in a climate where, during the winter, the sun in only up for about seven hours each day.  The daylight is short. The darkness is cold and long. Many people, included me, suffer from depression and lack of energy during this time of year.  It is easy to blame the dreary weather, but there may also be another cause. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that most often occurs at this dark time of year, and up to 20% of adults in the U.S. suffer with it each year.

Seasonal affective disorder can often be recognized by the following symptoms:

  • Decrease in energy
  • Increase in sleep
  • Feelings of depression
  • Moodiness
  • Anxiety
  • Changes in appetite

The depression and other symptoms from SAD begin to subside as the seasons change; this distinguishes SAD from other forms of depression. If your symptoms continue, or if you experience severe depression that keeps you from participating in your daily life, talk to your doctor immediately.

The good news is that you don’t just have to wait until spring to start feeling better.  Although medication is sometimes required for severe depression, light therapy is a natural treatment that can help treat seasonal affective disorder.

Light therapy works by exposing you to bright, full-spectrum light that closely mimics sun light. Short period of exposure, often around 30 minutes, helps modulate the levels Serotonin in your body. Serotonin contributes to feelings of well-being and is often called the “happiness hormone”. It also regulates appetite and sleep.

Light therapy can be administered in a special doctor’s office visit, but you can also experience the benefits of this therapy at home or in your office. Happy Light Therapy is a great example of a light box that is small and easily portable so you can use it wherever you are.

Enjoying more time outdoors with exposure to sunlight is always a good idea, but during the winter month poor weather, or lack of sunlight often keep us inside. Light therapy is a good alternative to simply suffering through it, especially when medication does not seem like the best option. Addressing the problem can help you maintain a more consistent mood and motivation level all year long.

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Post-Christmas Blues

January 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Getting Past Christmas

Everybody loves Christmas- all the eating and time with friends and family.  hey, you may even get a great gift or two.  However, come January, it’s pretty normal to get the “winter blues.”  In fact, many people struggle with seasonal affective disorder in which the lack of sunlight alters your mood to the point that you feel abnormally depressed.  While SAD can affect anyone anywhere, the most common cases are from those who live in the far north and experience shorter days in the winter.  Interestingly, more women suffer from SAD than men.

Light Therapy

Whether you are suffering from SAD or just experiencing post-Christmas sadness, there is a simple remedy: light therapy.  Usually, the problem that can be traced in SAD or winter blues is not enough sun light.  Unfortunately, no one can give you more actual sun light without relocating you.  However, you can have more light.  This is where light therapy comes in.  You simply set up this lamp in the room you’re spending time in, such as the living room or the kitchen.  Your brain will be tricked into thinking it is getting sun, and you, in turn, will feel the warmth and coziness of a much lighter day and environment.

The advantage to light therapy is its relative cheapness and how portable it is- you can literally take it to any room in the house.  Regardless of who you are or where you live, suffering from any kind of depression is isolating and therefore very lonely.  It may take more than light therapy to help you shake it, but start where you can with baby steps.  So, if you live somewhere dismal and cold, or even if you just don’t enjoy this time of year, do what you can t0 lighten up- literally!

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SAD- not just another acronym

February 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

SAD is not an acronym invented by psychologists.

30 Rock

Liz: Work is awful. Everyone’s snippy and tense.
Jack: Well the lack of sun makes people depressed. It’s called “seasonal affective disorder.”
Liz: Oh, is that where the word “sad” comes from?
Jack: What? You think “sad” is an acronym invented by psychologists?
Liz: I’ve been stuck inside playing online Boggle. It’s messing with my head! STAR. RATS. ARTS. TARS.

(reblogged fromPoison Ivy)

Many of us do actually suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder)- even those of us not in Scotland.  And, as usual Jack gets it right- it’s typically the lack of sunlight that essentially makes people feel depressed.  It’s just a happy (or sad) coincidence that the acronym is SAD.  As many as 1 in 20 people struggle with this form of temporary depression, and usually women more so.  Just because it’s temporary doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal, though.  Depression sucks no matter how long it lasts.  So, unless you can fly to Miami as Liz tried to (and failed, ending up in not so sunny Boston), do what you can: get as much sun as possible or try light therapy.  Sometimes we all need a little more sun.

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Dark Days…literally.

January 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Living in Scotland

We live in Aberdeen, which is as far north as Moscow. That makes for some dark winter days.

Whenever I tell people that we live in Scotland, they practically get stars in their eyes and ask if it is wonderful.  Sometimes I say yes, sometimes no (it really depends on my mood), but I can always picture what they’re imagining.  If I am feeling particularly rude, I might mention that we don’t live in a castle, next door to Sean Connery or James McAvoy.  We live in a small flat that is cold more often than not.  We get more rain that I could ever have imagined, which does lend itself to lush vegetation and green, rolling hills.  However, we don’t always get to get out and actually enjoy aforementioned backdrops due to the cold, the wetness, and the dark.  While summers are great with a sunrise at 3 or 4am and a sunset at 10 or 11pm, the exact opposite is true for winter.  This morning, I didn’t even bother to open the blinds until 8:30am because there was no point.  We don’t even have to close the blinds to go to sleep November-February because I can guarantee that NO SUNLIGHT will be peeking through during that time.

How much sunlight do you get in winter?

The worst most extreme days are when the sun rises at 9am and sets at 3pm.  That means that Scottish children walk to and from school in the dark.   The peak is December 21st- we get 4 minutes back a day form that point forward: 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon.  I personally celebrate those 4 minutes- 4×7=28 minutes a week!  In all seriousness, that much darkness is tough.  Many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  In everyday terms, SAD is when people feel depressed as a result of the seasons.  Usually, it is the winter’s lack of light that affects people.

How do we cope with so much daylight in the summer and so little in the winter?

Well, these are opposite issues, but I’ll list a few things that keep us sane:

  1. Kids tend to sleep more in the winter and less in the summer.  Deal with it, whether you like it or not.  Something about Circadian Rhythm, but their bodies adjust nicely.  We enjoy this and take advantage- if the sun is out, why not delay bedtime or a nap?
  2. We usually get to go home (Texas) once a year.  We plan this trip for the winter- we try to overlap it with Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we can enjoy those days with family and miss a lot of the darkness.  This doesn’t work for everyone’s schedule/work, but it’s what works for us.
  3. We never travel home during the summer.  Since school is year-round here anyway, there are lots of breaks that aren’t just in the summer we can take advantage of (such as Christmas, see #2), while staying home to enjoy the extra degrees and sun in the summer months.
  4. To preserve sleep, we invested in blackout blinds.  They are worth every pound.  I prefer the velcro kind that adheres directly to the window so as to literally black out a room.  While it’s kind of a pain to initially install the velcro strips, once installed the blinds are easy to take off and on.
  5. On the flip side, light therapy can be useful, especially if you’re prone to SAD.  My friends call it a “happy light“- true to its name, this happy light keeps us happy instead of wallowing in misery.
  6. If there’s a sunny day in the winter (or the summer for that matter!), we drop everything and enjoy it.  There is time to work later, but you can’t count on the sun this far north.
  7. We also find that having something to look forward to is helpful: a play date, a real date, movie night, downloaded TV shows from home, a trip, a visit from family, etc.  It keeps our minds off the dreary weather.

Hope that helps anyone out there who hates the winter as much as I do!

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