An Unwelcome Guest Makes Its Annual Appearance

Dear Natural Health Solutions Reader,

As the sun’s arc shortens, seasonal affective disorder — or, appropriately, SAD — makes its annual, unwelcome appearance.

Symptoms include lethargy, difficulty concentrating, increased need for sleep, weight gain, and feelings of hopelessness.

The farther north you are, the more likely you’ll feel its sting. Prevalence ranges from 1.4 percent in Florida to 9.9 percent in Alaska.¹

The hormonal shift, and psychological changes, triggered by shorter days and weaker sunlight isn’t necessarily an illness.

It’s possible that evolution has programmed humans in northern climes to “hunker down” during the winter to conserve scarce calories. If a mild case of depression makes going out seem like too much of a hassle — well, that may be a million years of seasonal famine talking.

However…

Food is no longer scarce in winter these days, and bosses and families tend to demand as much or more high-octane output in cold months as in warm ones.

So here are some research-backed ways of maintaining mood and energy levels in the fall, winter, and early spring:

Bright-Light Exposure: Google “seasonal affective disorder” and you’ll get page after page of slender blonde models (poor things, the condition seems to hit them especially hard) staring at “light boxes.”

The clear implication here is that exposure to a box full of “full spectrum” lights is a great way to replicate a longer day. But a major drawback is that this artificial light is both weaker than sunlight and fails to perfectly mimic its full-spectrum wavelengths.

Such a therapy may be essential in far-northern climes where days shorten dramatically.

But in the continental U.S., a better winter habit may be to maximize both your morning and evening exposures to real sunlight. Adjust your waking time to catch the sun’s first rays. Aim to get a good 30 minutes of sunlight in your eyes and on your face.

Morning light exposure has the added bonus of possibly keeping weight gain at bay.²

Exercise: A randomized trial of 120 “indoor employees” in southern Finland found that fitness training two-three times a week for eight weeks improved depressive symptoms and raised “vitality” — while a control group that got supervised relaxation training did not fare as well.³

This correlates with other studies on exercise and SAD, and is no surprise. Exercise has proven to be far and away the best method of forestalling or curing depression of all kinds.

Negative Ions: Devices that release negatively charged ions into the air appear to help relieve SAD symptoms. Look for one with a relatively high “flow rate” — the machine that showed maximum effectiveness in a study emitted 4.5 x 10⁽¹⁴⁾ ions per second.⁴

Supplements: Results of studies on vitamin D supplementation to combat SAD have been inconclusive. But given that vitamin D deficiency is rampant and low “D” has been associated with depression⁵, it’s certainly worthwhile to supplement with at least 2,000 IU daily.

Putting it all together…

I’m persuaded that some degree of slowing down, pulling in, and resting up is — or should be — part of the human condition in winter. It is appropriate that our routines ebb and flow with the seasons. If your life demands manic activity in January, perhaps you need to make some changes in your life, rather than in your physiology.

Having said that, it’s appropriate to keep truly dark moods at bay with active interventions. One of the most productive habits you can develop to carry you through the depressive winter months is a morning walk. For extra credit, walk a dog.

You’ll find that morning light exposure, gentle exercise, and companionship provide abundant physical and mental benefits for the creatures on both ends of the leash.

Brad Lemley
Editor, Natural Health Solutions

Citations

1. Nolen-Hoeksema, Susan. Abnormal Psychology (6th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill Education. p. 179. 2014

2. Reid KJ, Santostasi G, Baron KG, Wilson J, Kang J, Zee PC. Timing and Intensity of Light Correlate with Body Weight in Adults. PLoS ONE. 2014

3. Partonen T, Leppamaki S, Hurme J, Lonnqvist J. Randomized trial of physical exercise alone or combined with bright light on mood and health-related quality of life. Psychol Med. 1998

4. Terman M, Terman JS. Controlled trial of naturalistic dawn simulation and negative air ionization for seasonal affective disorder. Am J Psychiatry. March 2007.

5. Wilkins CH, Sheline YI, Roe CM, Birge SJ, Morris JC. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with low mood and worse cognitive performance in older adults. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006