Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): What It Is, The Causes & How To Treat It
With the arrival of the cold season, in addition cold-driven nuisance, some people experience drawbacks concerning the general state, lack of energy and depression of unknown origin. It was scientifically determined that the lack of light favors the production of melatonin by the pineal gland, a hormone that induces sleep. This is the reason that in the cold seasons when days are shorter and the sunlight is scarce, we frequently feel sleepy or drowsy. In addition, even throughout spring and summer, if the tendency is to keep most of the time indoors at home or at the office, the result may be similar, although not as severe.
Well, if drowsiness were the only impact produced by season changes, things would be easier to solve (with a bit of coffee perhaps). The problem is that melatonin secretion is synchronized with the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in several physiological processes such as temperature, blood-pressure rule and in neuropsychological functions like appetite, memory and mood. The two don't work together at the same time. When melatonin is secreted, serotonin production is inhibited. Lack of serotonin causes disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome and reflects its effects on mood also, triggering depression in some people.
Melatonin is active at night and serotonin is active in the daytime. Moreover, there is the age factor that constitutes to the balance of the two chemicals: the secretion of melatonin reduces with age. There has been determined that the link between serotonin and melatonin together with their dependence on the body clock could explain the depression experienced by the people suffering from the disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder - SAD. Depression, sleep problems, weight gain, anxiety, joint pain, irritability, stress, headaches are some of the symptoms that can emerge when we are suffering from SAD.
The problem is principally caused by the lack of sunlight. It has been scientifically proven that sunlight favors the increase in serotonin levels and favors vitamin D accumulation. In addition to having anti-osteoporotic, immunomodulatory, anticarcinogenic, antipsoriatic, antioxidant properties, vitamin D is also a mood-modulator.
UV rays exposure favors vitamin D synthesis in the skin. That's why people who go to tanning salons have experienced mood enhancement and keep the habit in order to maintain the state of well-being. However, it is common knowledge that the effects of the UV exposure are not always the most desirable ones. If going to tanning salons becomes a tendency, then recurrent, prolonged UV exposure may result in consequences like premature skin aging and ultimately skin cancer.
Light therapy is a way to treat SAD. Light functions on the body in two ways: throughout skin impact or by entering your eyes. Only UV light has causes on the skin, while the light that has effects by entering your eyes requires not be UV, it only has to be bright. Its energizing effect comes from the fact that it stimulates the production of serotonin. The simplest way to get sufficient bright light is to spend an hour a day or more outdoors, where the light levels range anywhere from 1,000 to 50,000 lux or more, compared to room lighting, which is around 50 to 200 lux.
If your schedule or the weather doesn't allow it, a substitute is to purchase a light therapy device. For optimum effects, the light source either has to be very bright - 5,000 lux or more - or it needs to be in a particular spectrum - around 460 nanometers, which is in the blue range. According to a new study, blue range light will provide benefits even though at a dimmer level. Most companies generating light bulbs manufacture full spectrum lights that may successfully substitute sunlight.
Still, there are side effects that bright artificial light may stimulate, namely it might interfere with sleep (particularly when exposure is made in the evening hours) or even trigger in some people a mania - condition called bipolar disorder (known as manic depression).
The safest way is still the natural outdoor light, as long as UV protection is used.
Cure Your Depression Permanently
|
|