Is Seasonal Affective Disorder the Cause of Your Winter Blues?

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is akin to an unwanted guest showing up every year as the seasons change, particularly in winter. It's a form of depression that's tied to the seasons, leaving many feeling like a plant deprived of sunlight—wilting and lacking vitality. But what exactly causes this seasonal slump, and how can we overcome it?.

Understanding the Winter Blues

Imagine your mood as a battery that recharges with sunlight. During spring and summer, it's easy to stay charged up with longer days and abundant light. But come fall and winter, the days shorten, and your mood battery may not get the juice it needs, leading to feelings of sadness, lethargy, and a craving for carbs. This is the essence of SAD — a cycle of depressive episodes that recur annually during the colder, darker months.

Why Does SAD Happen?

The exact cause is like a puzzle scientists are still putting together, but they've identified a few key pieces:

• Reduced Sunlight: Shorter days mean less sunlight, which can disrupt your body's internal clock or circadian rhythm, leading to feelings of depression.

• Serotonin Shortage: Sunlight helps regulate serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects mood. Less light means potential drops in serotonin, contributing to SAD symptoms.

• Melatonin Mix-Up: The change in season can also disrupt the balance of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and mood. This imbalance can lead to sleep problems and mood changes.

• Side Effects: When our bodies systems start to function sub-optimally, it easy to start deviating from good habits. This may include becoming less active and social, which can cause a domino effect and downward spiral that continues throughout the winter.

Shining Light on Remedies

Combating SAD doesn't require a magic wand—just some practical steps to reintroduce sunlight into your routine or mimic its effects:

• Light Therapy: Imagine giving your mood battery a jump start with a light box. Light therapy mimics natural sunlight and has been a beacon of hope for many SAD sufferers, improving symptoms by helping to reset the body's internal clock.
  

• Step Outside: Wrapping up warm and stepping outside during daylight hours can help. Even on cloudy days, natural light can be stronger than indoor lights, helping to recharge your mood battery.
  

• Stay Active: Exercise can be as effective as medication for some forms of depression. Moving your body is like shaking off the snow from a heavy branch—it rejuvenates and invigorates.

• Socialize: Intentionally try to do at least 1 social activity a week. This can help mitigate further depression caused from not being around people you enjoy enough.
  

• Dawn Simulators: These devices gradually increase the amount of light in your bedroom in the morning, helping to wake you naturally, simulating a sunrise and regulating your circadian rhythm.

• Supplementation and Counseling: In some cases, talking therapies or supplementation may be recommended, especially if light therapy isn't enough.

Embracing the Light

Seasonal Affective Disorder might make the colder months seem longer and darker, but understanding the causes and exploring the remedies is like finding your way back to spring — a journey from darkness into light. With the right tools and strategies, you can overcome the gloom and rediscover your sunshine.

Remember, if you're struggling with SAD, you're not alone. There are many resources and treatments available to help you through the winter months. Don't hesitate to reach out to a healthcare provider to discuss your symptoms and find a treatment plan that works for you.

Personal Tools

I have suffered from SAD my entire life... Until this year. I have finally found a solution and I use the below tools to give me back the same energy I have in the summer. 1 - 2 weeks was how long it took before I felt fully recovered. Where I went from crawling out of bed at 5:30AM every morning just in time for work, to waking up at 4:00 - 4:30AM every morning energized and ready to attack the day.

Therapy Light

This light from Vevor has the right color temperature (6500k) and LUX (brightness) to mimic the sun and stimulate your eyes enough to start creating vitamin D and other processes that you need to feel energized. It is a little obnoxious and may be a little bright for some people, but if you are really suffering I highly recommend trying this light (warning, the remote is cheap and basically does not work).

If you are sensitive to light and you suffer from SAD just a little, then trying a less intense light specifically designed to help SAD may be a better option for you. You can find such lights on Amazon, such as This one (not the cheapest, but more practical as a standing lamp). You can also try a cheaper one, I would try to find one over 10,000 LUX to make sure you are getting enough of an effect for it to really work, this one is 15,000 LUX.

I am not affiliated with any of the above products.

Quality Vitamins

Taking quality vitamins from a trusted source (keywords quality, trusted) can also help make up for the deficit of sunlight we get in the winter and make a noticeable difference in your mood and energy after a couple weeks of consistently taking them. They are not magic and it takes time for our body to recover to an optimal state, so consistency is key, you probably will not notice the effects right away. I recommend and am proud to have my first ever affiliation with 10x Health Systems by Gary Brecka. They are an awesome company with tested, practical, and affordable supplements that work. Here is a link to their vitamin D and K which is best to combat lack of sunlight. Also check out their optimize multi-vitamin to help mitigate any other potential nutrient deficiencies.