Tips to overcome SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
It’s SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) season. If you or someone you know has been feeling moody, tired, depressed, anxious, and has the fall blues or winter blues, you or that person could be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a type of anxiety, sadness or depression that occurs at the same time of the year on a recurring basis. Symptoms often start in the fall as daylight hours shorten (often in October or November) and continue into the winter months (ending in January or February). Less commonly, some may experience SAD in the spring with the lengthening of daylight hours (around April) and continues through the summer.
Fall/winter SAD symptoms may include:
o Feeling depressed, sad, anxious, moody, without energy
o Getting more sleep and still feeling tired
o Loss of interest in usual activities
o Craving carbohydrates such as pasta and bread
o Weight gain or loss
o Difficulty concentrating and processing information at work or school
Factors that may be related to SAD:
o Your biological clock (circadian rhythm). Having less sunlight in the fall and winter can confuse your body’s internal clock, which indicates when you should be awake or asleep. This disruption to your circadian rhythm can lead to feelings of depression.
o Melatonin levels. The change of season can alter the balance of nature
melatonin hormone, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood.
o Serotonin levels. Reduced levels of sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects mood. Too little serotonin can cause depression and anxiety.
Risk factors that can increase your risk of SAD include:
or be a woman. Some studies show that SAD is diagnosed more often in women than in men, but that men may have more severe symptoms.
o Live far from the equator. SAD seems to be more common among people who live far north or south of the equator. This may be due to decreased sunlight during winter and the longer days of summer.
o Family history/environment. Depression and anxiety syndromes (including SAD) can run in families. Genetics are believed to play a role in some and environmental factors can also be a huge factor. During the fall and winter months there are more family gatherings due to the holidays (Thanksgiving, Hanukah and Christmas) and severe weather can cause more confinement of families indoors for extended periods of time. The family can be supportive and positive, or some family members can be negative and exhausting (energy vampires). We can buy the negative energy of the people around us; or we can choose to transform negativity and rise above it (this is what our series of books Shift SHIFT: 12 Keys to Shift Your Life and Shift: A Woman’s Guide to Transformation were designed to do).
Treatments for SAD:
1. Exercises for the mind and body:
Move! Walk, run, bike, or go to the gym. Practice yoga, tai chi, or qigong. Dance around the room in a figure 8 and/or wave your arms and hips in a figure 8. Do 3 Thumps every morning. Use EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) to tap on your symptoms of sadness or anxiety (see our free EFT demo video if you need a refresher on the procedure or tapping points). Meditate or use guided imagery (our guided meditation CDs are designed to help) to decrease feelings of abandonment, helplessness, unpleasantness, fear of the unknown, anguish, guilt, shame, anger, or resentment. Any physical activity should help move your energy (externally and internally) and the more often you get up from the sofa or chair, the better. Massage therapy or acupuncture to release excess or stagnant energy in the meridians may also be helpful.
2. Light therapy:
In light therapy, also called phototherapy, you go outdoors during bright daylight hours or sit a few feet away from a specialized light therapy box or full-spectrum plant light, so that you are exposed to a light bright that imitates sunlight. Artificial light therapy mimics outdoor light (must include a full spectrum of light) and appears to cause a change in mood-related brain chemicals by stimulating the pineal gland. This treatment is easy to use and seems to have few side effects. Sunrise simulation is another light treatment, a dim light comes on in the morning while you sleep and gets brighter over time, like a sunrise.
Certain hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot have full spectrum light fixtures in the garden section. You don’t have to spend a fortune… to feel or see the light.
3. Medications:
Some people with seasonal affective disorder benefit from treatment with antidepressants, especially if the symptoms are severe. They include:
o Specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. Antidepressants commonly used to treat seasonal affective disorder include paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), (Luvox), citalopram (Celexa), and escitalopram (Lexapro). SSRI medications address symptoms of depression and anxiety with associated insomnia, excessive worry, and decreased appetite.
o Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (NRI) antidepressants (bupropion). An extended-release version of the antidepressant bupropion (Wellbutrin SR or XL) may help prevent depressive episodes in people with a history of seasonal affective disorder. NRI medication is useful for depressive symptoms with associated low energy level, lack of motivation, and increased sleepiness.
o Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake (SNRI) Antidepressants. Drugs in this class include venlafaxine (Effexor, Effexor XR), (Cymbalta), and (Pristiq). SNRI medications address depression and anxiety symptoms associated with excessive worry, low energy, and lack of motivation.
4. Advice:
Counseling (individual, marital, or family) is another option for treating SAD. Psychotherapy (cognitive behavioral, insight oriented, short solution oriented) can help you identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors that may be contributing to depression or anxiety. You can also learn healthy ways to cope with SAD and manage stress.
5. Nutritional and dietary supplements used to treat mild depression/anxiety or poor concentration/focus symptoms of SAD include:
or St. John’s wort. This herb has traditionally been used to treat mild depression and anxiety. Make sure you are taking a pharmaceutical grade and that it does not conflict with any medications you may be taking.
or even. This is a synthetic form of a chemical that occurs naturally in the body. SAMe has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat depression in the United States. However, it is used in Europe as a prescription drug to treat depression.
or Melatonin. This natural hormone helps regulate mood. A change in season can change the level of melatonin in your body. Some people try taking melatonin supplements, but talk to your healthcare provider first before doing so, as it may be contraindicated with certain medications.
o Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acid supplements have been shown in some studies to relieve mild symptoms of depression or anxiety. Sources of omega-3s include fatty cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and herring. Flaxseed, flax oil, and walnuts also contain omega-3 fatty acids, and trace amounts are found in soybean and canola oils.
or Huperzine. Huperzine-A is a plant alkaloid derived from the Chinese club moss plant, Huperzia serrata (a member of the Lycopodium species). In China, huperzine extract has been used for centuries to treat various ailments, including swelling, fever, and blood disorders. In recent years, huperzine has been extensively studied for its potential in the treatment of dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease. By reducing acetylcholinesterase activity, huperzine A can help reduce the breakdown of acetylcholine and may help preserve or even restore memory. While recent studies have shown that taking Huperzine A can help alleviate symptoms of dementia and appears to improve overall mental functioning (poor concentration and focus) when taken consistently for as little as one month; more research is needed before huperzine A can be recommended for dementia or general memory improvement.
Additional tools and techniques (specific meditations, energy medicine techniques, qigong exercises, stress reduction tips, etc.) can be found in the book Shift: A Woman’s Guide to Transformation by Tracy Latz, MD and Marion Ross, Ph.D. (available on Amazon). In short, you don’t have to suffer in silence with SAD. It is important to know that SAD is a real and definite problem for a large number of people and that professional help is available and should be consulted if you are suicidal or constantly feel that life is not worth living. Severe depression should be taken seriously, as it can be a life-threatening illness. Help is available if you find yourself in a deep, dark hole from which you cannot escape – contact your primary care physician, local mental health center, local hospital, therapist, psychiatrist or pastoral counselor for further assistance.