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Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a type of depression that follows a seasonal pattern. It can be known as winter depression as symptoms are more prevalent in the colder months. As we approach the autumn many people get excited about the last few months of the year but for many it’s a real struggle. Here’s everything you need to know about Seasonal Affective Disorder.
What is SAD?
Even though SAD is more likely in the winter months a few people do experience it in summer too. That being said there are more contributing factors to suffering from SAD in the winter months. The dull, dark weather and colder temperatures certainly don’t help to lift your mood. Just like any form of depression it’s best to think of SAD as working on a scale. At one end you’ll have people not affected at all. Moving along a bit and you’ll have those feeling a little grumpy and not as motivated as the mornings get darker and the temperatures cool down. Then right at the other end you’ll have people who’s daily routines are drastically affected, who’s everyday lives are interupted by a consistent low mood and loss of enjoyment in everyday activities and it may even start affecting their work.
It’s not fully understood what actually causes Seasonal Affective Disorder but a link between the lack of sunlight during the shorter days is often made. This is because a lack of natural light can stop the hypothalamus (a part of your brain) from working properly. This in turn affects the production of melatonin (the hormone which makes you feel tired), the production of serotonin (the hormone which affects your mood, appetite and sleep) and it alters the body’s internal clock.
The symptoms of SAD
SAD comes with a whole range of symptoms and because it works on a scale you’ll have people that may experience just one or two of these things then you’ll have people that experience all the symptoms. Things to look out for if you think you may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder are:
- a loss of interest and enjoyment in everyday activities
- being irritable
- a persistent low mood
- feeling lethargic/lacking energy often teamed with sleeping during the day
- struggling to get up in a morning and sleeping for longer
- feelings of despair, guilt or worthlessness
- craving carbohydrates and gaining weight
Now we all crave comfort food in the winter and who doesn’t love an afternoon nap every now and then but the symptoms of SAD go beyond that. If you’ve noticed any of the above things happening more frequently than what is normal for you then it’s probably a good idea to speak to your doctor.
How to treat SAD
If you think you’re suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder the first step should be to talk to your GP as they will be able to recommend the right treatment for you. If you have particularly severe SAD where your day to day life is seriously altered and affected then you may be prescribed antidepressants and therapy may be suggested. If you have mild Seasonal Affective Disorder though there are a range of ways you can treat it. You may want to look into hemp derived products such as the ones sold by Area 52 for a mood booster.
The easiest and most obvious form of treatment is to get as much natural light as possible. Spend time outside, take a walk even if it’s just on your lunch break and seek out as much light as you can. Obviously as the days get shorter this does become harder but light therapy can also be used to simulate natural light. Light boxes or lamps are available that simulate natural light simply using them daily has been proven to help. You don’t have to just sit staring at them either. Simply place them in front of you while you’re reading or watching TV for around 30-60 minutes a day.
Dawn simulating alarm clocks are another good form of light therapy. They simulate the sunrise and start around 30 minutes before your alarm time and slowly brighten up so your body can experience a gentle wake up.
Vitamin D supplements have also had some positive reviews for helping treat the symptoms of SAD. Most of our vitamin D comes from our skins exposure to sunlight. However in the winter months the sun either isn’t present at all or the ultraviolet rays aren’t strong enough to get the required amount of vitamin D. While it is still important to spend time outside in natural light you can easily top up your vitamin D levels with a supplement and ordering vitamins online makes it even easier to get your required amount of vitamin D!
How to tell that you have SAD
You may be wondering how to tell if you actually have SAD rather than ‘traditional depression’. The biggest indicator is the timing of the symptoms. SAD is highly likely to occur in the winter months. Feelings begin between September and November and will more than likely fade away between March and April. If you notice a pattern in these depressive states occurring around the same time every year then it’s highly likely that you have SAD.
Another indicator is that SAD can be described as sort of a need to hibernate. While people with traditional depression often experience trouble sleeping and a loss of interest in food leading to weight loss it’s the complete opposite for SAD sufferers who find they want to sleep more and eat more with a particular craving for comforting carbohydrates.
Seasonal Affective Disorder isn’t pleasant but luckily there are a wide range of affective ways to treat it meaning you don’t have to be filled with dread as the colder months begin.
Do you suffer from SAD? Share any tips you have for treating it in the comments!
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Brilliant informative post Lauren. Thankfully not something I’ve experienced. I have a real love of this time of year, probably more so than summer.
Love the idea of waking slowly like that though, that would probably do most people good x
I’m the same as you! I agree with you about the alarm clock though, it would definitely be a nicer way to wake up I think!
I used to suffer from SAD when I lived in Belgium, Germany, and England. Every winter I was depressed. Not seeing the sun for days or even weeks depressed me. Then I moved to Mexico, and the sun is visible nearly 365 days a year. Now I have no more SAD, however, summers can be brutal (I live in the semi-desert). I guess, nothing is perfect but I would not go back to living with cold winters and little sunlight.
I like the idea of a dawn simulating alarm, I can imagine that this is a much gentler way to wake up and you feel more positive. I wish I had known about that when I lived in Europe 😉
Living in Mexico sounds lovely, though I can imagine the summers are very hot!
Amazing post! Thank you for sharing this important information! It will be so helpful to others as I feel like this hasn’t really been mentioned much!
Thank you! I’m glad your enjoyed the post and found it helpful.
I like the idea of getting a dawn simulating clock 😀
They look really good!
Since I live in the southern part of India, SAD is not really an issue because the temperatures don’t fall so low. However, more and more of us are working indoors all the time and suffer from a lack of Vitamin D which leads to so many issues as you know.
I think people forget how important it is to make sure you’re spending time outside.
I have been living with SAD each winter. I have depression year round, but it escalates into that ‘need to hibernate’ as the days get shorter and the temperatures drop. We are considering trying a trip to visit a winter cabin to see if that helps as I love being outdoors and camping the rest of the year. However, my husband has NO interest in winter camping lol The cabin is a nice compromise.
A cabin sounds lovely. I don’t think I’d be a fan on winter camping to be honest but a cabin sounds nice a cosy!