Causes and Treatment of SAD
For many Americans, winter can literally be a bummer. Known as the winter blues, people start to feel like they are in a rut, slightly depressed, and lacking energy as the fall moves into winter and the days get short and the winter turns cold. This is especially true of people in the most northern areas of the country were you may wake up and got to work in the dark and come home in the dark bundled up against the bitter, biting cold. While this sounds bad, the good news is that it can be treated.
The “winter blues” is actually a recognized disorder known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is brought on each winter in some people by a lack of sunlight. Lack of sunlight hampers the body’s production of Vitamin D, which in turn throw a whole slew of system in your body out of whack. The end result is you feeling like you have no energy and are bummed out. Once you recognize that SAD is the reason you’re feeling blue all winter, the treatment for it is relatively easy.
To treat SAD, the most effective treatment is to buy a SAD lamp and use it for a set amount of time each day. SAD lamps simulate the actual rays of the sun, so setting one in your desk at home or at work will provide your body with the daylight it requires passively without any extra input on your part. These lamps come in many different styles, from touch sensor lamps to floor lamps for your living room or kitchen.
You should also take several other steps to treat your SAD as well however. Make sure that you make exercise a habit. Exercise stimulates the production of many chemicals in the body that will help make you feel and look much better. Also, just because its cold, don’t lock yourself in your apartment. Get out and do things with your friends and family. The human interaction will make you feel much better immediately. And if you continue to feel bad, make sure that you see a doctor as there may be more serious problems that need treated.
