During the winter the days are shorter, there’s less sun light and the weather is cold and gloomy, the majority of us during the winter tend to sit by the fire bing watching tv with a blanket wrapped around us to keep us warm
If you feel down down during the winter months or feel like you have a lot less energy than usually it could be a sign of what’s know as seasonal depression which is also called seasonal affective disorder or SAD for short.
Seasonal affective disorder is a mood disorder that occurs every year at the same time.
Generally seasonal affective disorder begins in fall or winter time and usually ends during early summer.
However a form of seasonal depression known as summer depression begins in early summer and ends in fall.
But what exactly causes seasonal affective disorder?
Nobody knows the exact cause of seasonal affective disorder but some scientist believe that less sunlight during the winter means the brain produces less serotonin which is a chemical in your body that regulates your mood and melatonin which is a chemical that regulates your sleep and mood.
Scientist also believe people who live further away from the equator or people who have a family history of depression are at an increased risk for seasonal affective disorder.
Seasonal affective disorder is more common in women than in men and isn’t found as much in countries where there is plenty of sunshine all year round.
The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder are similar to the symptoms of depression including
Feelings of hopelessness
A depressed mood
Difficult concentrating
Loss of pleasure in activities
Changes in sleeping patterns
Changes in diet
There are also some very unique symptoms too which include
Your arms and legs feeling heavier than usual
Craving carbohydrates
And frequently oversleeping
Everyone feels unmotivated during the winter at some point but if your symptoms are affecting your life please reach out for help immediately
There are many different treatments available for seasonal affective disorder including
Medication – antidepressants have proven to help people who suffer from SAD especially if they have intense symptoms
Psychotherapy – Talking to a therapist can help you identify patterns in negative thinking and behaviour which can help you learn positive ways of dealing with your symptoms
Light therapy – This is has been proven to really benefit people who suffer from winter seasonal effective disorder, it involves you espousing yourself to light via a box or lamp. The light therapy produces very similar effects to natural light which helps triggers the chemicals in your brain which regulates your moon.
There are also other things you can do which can help improve your symptoms including trying to get outside more often, getting plenty of sunlight when it’s available and getting plenty of sleep.
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