Winter blues symptoms can be alleviated by light therapy and daily exercises.
Ever wondered why you were feeling so uplifted in the summer and you gradually became moodier as winter approaches? Summer wine and winter tears, the song of how we bask in sunlight and how we shrivel beneath a cold December moon.
In a recent study about depression and daylight changes, scientist have discovered that turning your clock back may trigger a slight depression in an individual. The most common symptoms associated with this psychiatric disorder named Seasonal Affective Disorder are sluggishness, sleepiness and irritability. Moreover, patients diagnosed with this disorder can experience gains in body weight and a slight imbalance in carbohydrate levels.
To counter the winter blues, doctors recommend daily exercise and light therapy. Patients who have used a 10000 flux light for half an hour each day experienced mood improvements.
So, what is Seasonal Affective Disorder and what can we do to lighten up our mood a bit?
Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, for short, is a natural shift in an individual’s mental health. For most people who experience no mental changes during the rest of the year, summer or winter onset could trigger slight symptoms of depression.
Among other symptoms associated with SAD are nausea, and an individual’s incapacity of waking up in the morning. Moreover, patients often express the desire to consume more food than usual which in term leads to weight gain.
Most patients undergoing Seasonal Affective Disorder complain from the lack of energy and can’t focus on certain tasks. Regarding social interactions, it seems that someone suffering from the winter blues is more prone to isolation, avoiding friends and family members. Overall feeling is that of anguish and hopelessness. Anxiety, irritability and a decreased sexual appetite are also associated with the winter blues.
Studies have shown that 20 percent of people who suffer from SAD could have an underlying affection that triggers it. These patients are usually diagnosed with type one or type two bipolar disorder.
There is no standard cure for Seasonal Affective Disorder. Further research into the matter came with certain therapies which can help alleviate some of the symptoms. Doctors usually employ the use of light therapy (exposure to different forms of light such as daylight, florescent lamps, full-spectrum light), ionized-air (negative ion machines are designed to copy summer conditions), cognitive therapy and, only if it is necessary, hormone therapy.
Summer wine and winter tears, to feel the cheeriness of summer or the anguish of winter days? That is a question to be settled among you and yourself.
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