Photo by Anh Nguyen on Unsplash – https://unsplash.com/photos/v-NBXj3Yv5o
by Dr Deborah Lee, Dr Fox Online Pharmacy
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that usually occurs in the winter months. It affects 1-2% of the population and is more common in women, and younger age groups. However, 10-20% of the population suffer from a milder form known as ‘the winter blues.’
How to diagnose SAD
The diagnosis of SAD can be made if you get certain symptoms at this time of year, every year, and these are severe enough to lower your quality of life. Look at the following statements. If you find yourself agreeing with some or any of these, you may have SAD.
- I want to sleep all the time, or I’m having trouble sleeping
- I’m so tired I find it hard to carry out daily tasks
- My appetite has changed, and I’m craving sugary and starchy foods
- I’m putting on weight
- I feel sad, guilty and low in mood
- I feel hopeless
- I feel angry and irritable
- I’m not joining in socially or with activities I usually enjoy
- I feel tense, stressed and anxious
- I’ve lost my libido
Symptoms of SAD
Here’s a list of common SAD symptoms –
- Depression and low self-esteem
- Lack of pleasure in the things you usually like doing
- Becoming socially withdrawn – not joining in
- An increase or a decrease in your appetite, and your weight
- Feeling stressed, anxious, and irritable
- You may feel the urge to sleep all the time and be unable to get up in the mornings
- You may feel tired and be unable to concentrate
- You may find your libido takes a nosedive
- Some sufferers drink more alcohol or take drugs to try and cope with the way they are feeling
- Some people with SAD feel so low they even feel suicidal
What causes SAD?
In the winter, the short, dark days, with a lack of sunlight, lead to an increase in the production of the sleep hormone – melatonin. This disrupts your natural Circadian rhythms (body clock) making you feel tired and sleepy, and irritable. The lack of sunlight also results in lowered levels of the happy hormone, serotonin. This can cause depression and anxiety, change your appetite, affect your memory and lower your sexual desire.
How to treat SAD
- Expose yourself to more natural light – Sleep with the blinds and curtains open. Take a walk in your lunch hour. Position your desk near the window. Change your lightbulbs for natural daylight bulbs.
Consider purchasing a lightbox. These give off the same light as natural daylight. Don’t look at the light directly but sit in front of it 30-minutes a day.
Try a dawn simulation alarm clock. These gradually wake you up by slowly producing natural light as would occur at dawn, so you are not jolted out of sleep.
- Manage your diet – To help prevent food cravings, eat carbs with a low or medium glycaemic index. This means they release energy slowly, avoiding large peaks and troughs in your glucose levels. Good examples are oats, whole grain cereals (sugar-free), and brown bread, brown rice and brown pasta.
Increase your consumption of omega-3 fatty acids. These are found in oily fish, walnuts, soy and flaxseed. Omega-3 supplements have been found to alleviate symptoms of depression.
- Look after your mental health – See your GP early in the autumn and consider taking antidepressants. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) raise levels of serotonin and are very effective at raising your mood and calming anxiety. Don’t leave starting to take them too late. Alternatively, you might be prescribed bupropion – a norepinephrine/dopamine-reuptake inhibitor (NDRI) – which is specifically used to treat SAD.
A new drug, Agomelatine, is now available, which is a melatonin agonist, has been shown to be effective in treating major depression. This shows promise for those with SAD.
In terms of natural therapy, there is some evidence that St John’s Wort can help treat mild to moderate depression, but this can interfere with other medicines so always check with your GP first.
If you don’t want to take medication, you could ask to be referred for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This is a type of talking therapy where you learn more about your condition and the therapist helps you to develop coping strategies.
Stay close to your friends and family and reach out to let them know how you are feeling. If you feel suicidal, don’t suffer in silence – get help. You can free-phone the Samaritans 24/7 – telephone 116123.
- Do more exercise – Physical exercise is the best way to naturally combat stress and raise your endorphins – giving you a natural high. Get outside and walk briskly, jog or cycle. Another option with much to commend it is cold water swimming, which is also known to boost your mood, your immune system and can help control your weight.
- Other ways to lift depression – You can try various other tactics. Why not try aromatherapy? A few drops of essential oil from the Toona ciliate tree has been shown to improve depressive symptoms in mice. Lavender oil has been shown to calm anxiety.
Make sure you keep connected and keep talking. Some SAD sufferers find joining a support group helpful. Research has shown that attending group support can relieve symptoms of depression and may be just as good as attending for sessions of CBT.
Writing your symptoms down every day in a journal can also be beneficial. Expressing your thoughts and feelings on paper, for around 20 minutes a day, has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce the need to take medication and improve our ability to self-care.
Final thoughts
Don’t let SAD spoil the Christmas season. See what you can do to be proactive and nip the symptoms in the bud before they really get on top of you. There’s a lot that can be done to help you.
If you suffer from SAD – what could you do to stop yourself feeling low this winter?
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