According to Dr. Norman E. Rosenthal: You’re probably one of 10 million Americans with seasonal affective disorder (commonly known as SAD) when you are feeling so down at winter time. The days are darker and so is your mood — you feel sad. Dr. Rosenthal is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School in Washington D.C. He is a SAD sufferer who has overcome the problem.
Seasonal Affective Disorder -- Symptoms and Causes
Genetics, stress and other factors can play a role, but the main cause of SAD is a lack of light, says Dr. Rosenthal. Although no one knows the exact mechanism, it is theorized that less light disrupts the functioning of serotonin, a brain chemical that influences mood, energy, sleep, appetite, and concentration. That in turn causes one or more SAD symptoms: fatigue, overeating, sleep disturbances, decreased sex drive, foggy thinking, physical problems such as headaches and backaches, and, of course, sadness.
These symptoms vary in severity. The intense, winter-long depression of SAD requires professional care, Dr. Rosenthal says. But the milder variety that he calls the winter blues is self-treatable. And the first treatment to banish those blues is not necessarily antidepressant medication. It’s the most natural treatment of all: Light.
Guide to Professional Care -- Moderately Severe Seasonal Affective Disorder
If you have moderately severe symptoms of depression during the winter, you shouldn’t try self-help methods. You need the help of a professional, says Dr. Rosenthal.
He suggests light therapy, supervised by a qualified professional who has had experience with the treatment, for the following problems:
- Impaired functioning, such as frequent difficulty getting to work on time or an inability to perform tasks that you normally do with ease.
- Feelings of depression, such as feeling guilty and pessimistic and thinking that life isn’t worthwhile, having negative thoughts about yourself that you don’t have at other times of the year, and feeling sad or having crying spells.
- Markedly disturbed physical functions, such as the need for more sleep, a desire to lie around during the day, and a lack of control over eating.
Light Therapy -- for Winter Blues
Light therapy simply replaces the light that’s missing during the short, dark days of winter. “It helps people with winter blues attain a more energetic and cheerful state of mind, similar to the way they feel during the summer,” Dr. Rosenthal says.
Simple ways to get more light include spending more time outdoors on bright days and using more lamps in your home and office. But the most effective way is to use a special fixture called a light box, which simulates a summer dawn on a winter morning, says Dr. Rosenthal. Here’s what you need to know on how to use light therapy.
How to Use a Light Box -- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Treatment
Light boxes are usually about 2 feet long and 1 1/2 feet high, with white fluorescent bulbs behind a plastic screen. (Fluorescent lights spread light over a wider area. Incandescent bulbs are not acceptable or suitable for this use, says Dr. Rosenthal.) Look for a unit that delivers 2,500 to 10,000 lux (a measurement of intensity). The most effective units cost $300 to $500, which is an amount that many people with the winter blues have found to be well worth for the investment, he says.
It’s necessary to customize the amount of light you use to your symptoms and the time of year. “If you are starting light therapy at the beginning of the winter season, just when you’re having your first symptoms, 10 minutes a day may be sufficient,” Dr. Rosenthal advises. In the depths of winter, however, you may need 45 minutes twice a day. If you’re somewhere between those extremes, use your judgment and choose a time between 10 and 90 minutes daily. If that amount reverses your symptoms, stick with it. If symptoms continue for longer than 2 weeks, however, increase to 90 minutes, which is the maximum treatment time. If that doesn’t work, seek professional care.
Light Therapy for Seasonal Affective Disorder
When you’re using a light box, there’s no need to stare at it directly; just position yourself 1 to 3 feet away and face it with your eyes open. You can do paperwork, make phone calls, read or exercise. “I have a light box set up in front of a treadmill and find combination of light therapy and exercise to be particularly energizing,” Dr. Rosenthal says.
While it’s uncommon, it’s possible to have mild side effects from the therapy, says Dr. Rosenthal. If you experience headaches, or eyestrain, decrease your exposure to 15 minutes and build up to the therapeutic amount in increments of 5 minutes or so a day over a week or two. If you become irritable, decrease your exposure. If you have insomnia, which usually occurs in people who use the lights late at night, shift the treatment in the morning.
If you have dry eyes or nasal passages, use a humidifier and drink warm beverages during the exposure. If you have sensitive, easily sunburned skin, put on sunblock before you start. Finally if you have a history of eye disease, such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa, see an eye doctor before beginning light therapy.
Extra Tips to Fight Winter Blues
“Although most people with the winter blues will benefit from light therapy, many still don’t feel as well in the winter as they do in the summer,” Dr. Rosenthal says. Here are other ways that he recommends to help fight the symptoms of light deprivation.
- Warmth -- Turn up the heat
“Many patients have told me that warmth, in conjunction with light, seems to help combat the winter blues,” Dr. Rosenthal says. Turn up the thermostat, use an electric blanket, and drink warm beverages.
- St. John’s Wort: Beat the Blues
The antidepressant herb St. John’s Wort may help the winter blues, says Dr. Rosenthal. He recommends 300 milligrams three times a day. The best brand is Kira, he says, because it’s the brand that was used in European studies that proved the effectiveness of the herb. He also advises that you use St. John’s wort only under the supervision of a qualified professional.
- Melatonin -- Small Amounts Work Best
The hormone melotonin can help reset your biological clock, thus decreasing the symptoms of winter blues. The trick is to take a very small amount in the afternoon, says Dr. Rosenthal. Use 100 micrograms (1/10 milligram). If you can’t find melatonin in this dose, Dr. Rosenthal suggests that you break a 200-microgram tablet in half. Do not take this supplement unless under the supervision of a knowledgeable medical doctor.
Source: Bill Gottlieb, Alternative Cures, pp. 535-538
Uplift Technologies DL930 Day-Light 10,000 Lux
SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) Lamp
Related Posts:
Tags: light box, melatonin, SAD Light Therapy, seasonal affective disorder, seasonal affective disorder sleep, Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatment, St. John's wort, winter blues
