How to Conquer Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Without Anti-Depressants
Winter is coming--the solstice occurs on Wednesday December 21st (some of you may argue that winter is already here…)!
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or “winter blues” is a type of depression that impacts many people during the late fall and winter when the hours of daylight grow short. National Institutes of Health estimates that millions of Americans, especially women, struggle with seasonal depression. Signs of SAD include weight gain, lower energy levels along with a strong desire to “hibernate”, and inability to focus.
Early in my career as a naturopathic doctor, I met a young woman Patty with everything going right in her life. She had recently graduated with a master’s degree in social work, was promoted to director of a non-profit in her dream field and was engaged to a supportive partner. She confessed to me that she thought she was very sick--she was worried that she had cancer or something because she knew she should be over-the-moon happy, but she was so tired it took all her strength to get out of bed, go to work and then come home--she just wanted it to end. Patty is still here, married and working at that non-profit! She had bad seasonal affective disorder caused by a nutrient imbalance. We ran labs and found critically low vitamin D levels. Low vitamin D is one of the reasons for seasonal affective disorder. Patty started taking the appropriate dosage of vitamin D and changed her honeymoon venue to a sunny tropical location!
With so many of my patients struggling with seasonal affective disorder and its side effects, I have devised a few simple steps to help them every fall and winter. Here are 3 simple suggestions to help you conquer SAD:
1. Exercise: Move your body daily. It does not have to be training for a triathlon, but some movement will help. Getting your blood moving and taking deep breaths will help generate more feel-good hormones naturally. Participating in group exercise classes imparts a sense of community and fights feelings of isolation.
2. SAD light: Invest in a happy light or other form of light-box therapy. Light boxes and “blues bulbs” are widely available (Amazon and hardware stores, etc.) and inexpensive. When looking for a light box or bulb find one that can deliver a minimum of 10,000 lux. The light should be used at first awakening for 20 to 30 minutes. The position of the light should be above your head or at a 45-degree angle to avoid looking at it directly and also to mimic the position of the sun. I suggest daily use during winter.
3. Vitamin D: See your doctor and have labs checked to see if your vitamin D levels are in a therapeutic place. Vitamin D is made during the sunny months of the year and since we live our lives inside and in front of computers many people have low reserves going into the fall and winter. Optimizing your vitamin D levels have benefits beyond fighting depression.
Naturopathic medicine is, in my not so humble opinion, at its best when it helps people thrive. For Patty that meant figuring out what was wrong and helping her heal. For other patients that means preventing seasonal depression from happening at all. Please don’t wait until SAD finds you. Say “not this year” to seasonal affective disorder and enjoy the feeling of waking rested, having all day energy, and not having to figure out how to diet away the winter weight gain.
Rachel Oppitz, ND
