Combating SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)

As sunlight decreases during the short dark days of winter, many individuals struggle with seasonal affective disorder or SAD. Typically, common during the months of December, January, and February with regression in the spring and or summer months, according to The American Family Physician (2020). Some individuals experience SAD during summer months and can experience weight loss, aggression, and insomnia.

SAD is a type of depression, a subtype of major depression, or bipolar disorder. Typical features of depression include depressed mood, anhedonia or the reduced ability to experience pleasure, guilt or hopelessness, decreased energy, weight loss or gain, suicidal ideations, and/or attempts. Typical features of bipolar disorder include mania, hypomania, depression, irritability, anxiety, mood lability, sleep disturbance, and hyperactivity.

Possible risk factors for SAD include family history, being a female, living at a more northern latitude, and young adulthood (18 to 30 years of age). Researchers have found that reduced sunlight can affect the body in ways that could contribute to SAD. These include:

Circadian rhythm (biological clock) — The decrease in sunlight could disrupt your body’s natural rhythms. This could lead to feelings of depression.

Serotonin levels — Serotonin is a brain chemical that affects your mood. Reduced sunlight could cause, serotonin levels to drop. This could trigger depression.

Melatonin levels — Melatonin is a brain chemical that regulates sleep. More darkness causes the body to produce more melatonin. More melatonin could make you feel more tired and lethargic. These are common symptoms of depression.

Vitamin D levels — It is believed that vitamin D plays a role in serotonin levels. Much of the vitamin D we get is from the sun. Less sunlight could lead to a deficiency in vitamin D. This can cause depression symptoms (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2017).

Some clinical recommendations for the treatment of SAD include light therapy (A person sits or stands in front of a specially-designed lightbox for 30 to 45 minutes a day, preferably in the morning. This helps supplement the loss of natural sunlight during the winter months), cognitive behavioral therapy, natural light- open blinds at home or at work, exercise, and possibly talking to your doctor about if an antidepressant would be best for you. It’s advised to avoid screen time before bed and maintain a regular sleep schedule to improve mood through proper sleep hygiene.

An estimated 10 million Americans experience SAD during the dark, winter months. If you feel that you may be one of these individuals and it is affecting your quality of life, we encourage you to reach out to a health care provider to see what remedy or regimen would suit you and your lifestyle best. Rachael Fryrear is a Behavioral Health Counselor that is seeing patients at all Haxtun Health locations, including Fleming and Haxtun. She can help you overcome SAD during this time when you may need a little extra help to get you over the winter hump. If you are seeking help and want to feel more like yourself during these colder weeks, give Rachael a call at 970-7746123 to schedule a time to visit with her and develop a personalized plan to get you feeling your best.