What do the winter blues and SAD feel like?
- Significant, lasting, downturn of mood
- Apathy; loss of feelings
- Less energy
- Overeating; weight gain
- Cravings for carbohydrates
- Sleeping too much; difficulty waking up or staying awake
- Less interest in being around other people
- Less interest in activities one used to like
How are the winter blues different from clinical depression?
- The winter blues are a subclinical (or mild) version of SAD
- SAD is a clinical depression that occurs during the winter months
- It dissipates during the spring and summer months
- To be diagnosed as having SAD, rather than a first occurrence of depression, one must have a pattern of recurring depression during the winter months
How common is it?
- Between 10-20% of Americans may suffer from mild symptoms associated with the winter blues
- Seasonal affective disorder (or SAD) may affect 5% of the population
- About 1% of people in Florida get SAD; about 10% of people in New Hampshire get SAD
Why do we get the winter blues?
- SAD has been linked to a biochemical imbalance brought on by the shortening of daylight hours and a lack of sunlight in winter
- Your mood is partly influenced by sunlight, melatonin, serotonin, and vitamin D (cholecalciferol)
- Melatonin (sleep hormone) decreases when it is light
- Serotonin (hormone associated with wakefulness and elevated mood) increases when it is light
- Vitamin D helps the body maintain ↑ levels of serotonin during the winter
- Light stimulates the production of cholecalciferol, which the body eventually transforms into vitamin D
What are the risk factors?
- Limited light exposure
- Younger people and women
- Distance from the equator
- Predispositions to clinical depression
- January and February – the most difficult months
- Feeling let down after the holidays
How do I prevent the winter blues?
- Expose yourself to light
- Keep a regular routine/schedule
- Have a regular pattern of sleep; get enough sleep
- Exercise regularly
- Do fun things
- Eat in a healthy way; avoid overeating
How do I increase my exposure to light?
- Expose yourself to the sun during the winter
- Do an outdoor activity or ritual daily
- Take a long walk outside
- Arrange your indoor environment so that you are exposed to a window during the day; exercise near a window or outside
- Take breaks outside
- Expose yourself to more sun during the summer
- This may help you build up a store of cholecalciferol that lasts through the fall
- The amount of serotonin you have in the winter may be affected by your exposure to light the previous summer
- Remember to use sunscreen and avoid peak hours
- Use brighter full spectrum (also known as broad spectrum) light bulbs in your home/office
What do I do if I think I might have the winter blues?
- Consult a health professional
- Symptoms of SAD can be confused with other medical conditions, such as hypothyroidism or viral infections like mononucleosis
- Evaluation by a medical professional is crucial
- Light therapy (phototherapy)
- Exposure to very bright light (usually from a special fluorescent lamp) for 30 minutes each day during the winter months
- Dawn simulation with an incandescent light on a timer in your bedroom
- A combination of the above
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