Seasonal Affective Disorder

The days are shorter, and the weather is downright cold and miserable. A lot of us struggle with feeling “meh” during the winter months into early spring, due to the lack of sunshine and fresh air. Luckily, there are some ways to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder to help get us through the brutal Montana winters.

In most cases, seasonal affective disorder symptoms appear during late fall, or early winter and go away during the sunny days of spring and summer. Less commonly, people with the opposite pattern, have symptoms that begin in spring, or summer. In either case, symptoms may start out mild and become more severe as the season progresses.

Signs and symptoms of SAD may include:

• Feeling listless, sad or down most of the day, nearly every day

• Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed

• Having low energy and feeling sluggish

• Having problems with sleeping too much

• Experiencing carbohydrate cravings, overeating and weight gain

• Having difficulty concentrating

• Feeling hopeless, worthless or guilty

• Having thoughts of not wanting to live (Mayo Clinic, 2017).

The specific cause of seasonal affective disorder remains unknown. Some factors that may come into play include:

• Your biological clock (circadian rhythm). The reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset SAD. This decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body's internal clock and lead to feelings of depression.

• Serotonin levels. A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood, may play a role in SAD. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may trigger depression.

• Melatonin levels. The change in season can disrupt the balance of the body's level of melatonin, which plays a role in sleep patterns and mood (Mayo Clinic, 2017).

Lifestyle and home remedies:

• Make your environment sunnier and brighter. Open blinds, trim tree branches blocking sunlight, or add skylights to your home. Sit closer to bright windows while at home, or in the office.

• Get outside. Take a long walk, eat lunch at a nearby park, or simply sit on a bench and soak up the sun. Even on cold, or cloudy days, outdoor light can help — especially if you spend some time outside within two hours of getting up in the morning.

• Exercise regularly. Exercise and other types of physical activity help relieve stress and anxiety, both of which can increase SAD symptoms. Being more fit can make you feel better about yourself, too, which can lift your mood.

• Normalize sleep patterns. Schedule reliable times to wake up and go to bed each day. Especially for fall-winter-onset SAD, reduce, or eliminate napping and oversleeping (Mayo Clinic, 2017).

It may be difficult to prevent the symptoms of SAD all together but taking early steps to manage the symptoms may help them from getting worse. Some people find it helpful to take preventative steps before symptoms get unmanageable, while others can recognize the signs and combat them with symptom management. Either way, being able to recognize when you are struggling and implementing some home remedies will help you get through the long, cold, and dark months of a Montana winter.

Mayo Clinic. (2017). Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) - Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20364651