How to know if you’re suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder – and what to do about it.
Feeling sluggish? Exhausted? Craving carbs way, way more than you usually would? You might be one of the lucky people experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Women are 4 times more likely to experience seasonal affective disorder than men, and the condition often begins when you’re between ages 18 and 30.
SAD is not a clinically diagnosable metal health condition, it’s a subtype of major depressive disorder. 1 in every 300 Australian’s will experience this seasonal subtype of depression.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Seasonal Affective Disorder isn’t just about feeling a little down or feeling less excited about your social life during the colder months. It can cause severe changes in mood and the lack of daylight can trigger severe depression. In severe cases, people can even experience suicidal ideation. Research tells us that the highest percentage of participants with SAD in a single location was observed in Tasmania, Australia’s most southern state, but it also experienced by people living in Australia’s northern, tropical states in summer when the humidity and heat can get too intense, though this is less common.
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SAD usually begins and ends at around the same time every year, and symptoms are typically at their peak in winter when the days are shortest. People will experience a range of symptoms including low mood, sleeping more than they usually would, lack of energy and fatigue, craving carbohydrates and sugary foods more than they usually would, feeling hopeless, withdrawing, and loss of enjoyment in their usual activities. The symptoms are similar to depression but follow the seasonal pattern. Symptoms of SAD in summer include not feeling hungry, losing weight, and feeling agitated and anxious.
SAD will typically resolve on its own after a few months, however this doesn’t make it any easier for people who are experiencing it. In fact, it can be pretty brutal.
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What causes Seasonal Affective Disorder?
We don’t know exactly what causes seasonal affective disorder. Though a few factors are thought to play a role. It’s possible that people who experience seasonal affective disorder have lower levels of serotonin, or the “feel good” hormone, which helps regulate your mood. Because sunlight exposure can impact serotonin levels in the body, winter depression may be brought on by lack of sunlight.
However, summer depression may be triggered by heat, humidity, and too much light exposure, which can lead to an overproduction of melatonin, or the “sleep” hormone. Too much melatonin in the body can affect your sleep-wake cycle. The good news is that there is treatment and support.
How to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder
Lifestyle changes include a focus on increasing levels of natural sunlight as much as possible. Simple things like going for a walk in the morning or on your lunch break or sitting outside with a book or a coffee to get some daylight is important. This includes getting outside as much as you can on weekends. Maintaining contact and activities with your social supports is vital, people typically stay indoors more in winter and make the mistake of seeing friends less which can in turn, worsen the symptoms. While your available options for socialising may be limited, have movie nights with friends or family and maintain those connections.
Psychological support might be required short term in order to improve the way your symptoms are changing your thinking. SAD can impact how we view the world, and it is helpful to have a healthcare professional reinforcing pro-health behaviour and providing you with tools to manage any distress you might notice.
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Light therapy is also prescribed and are evidence based, clinical treatment. Light boxes, approximately 25 times as bright as the usual levels of domestic lighting, provide increased levels of light and patients are advised to sit in front of them for 30-60 minutes a day. The bright lights can sometimes cause headaches, eye strain or insomnia so it is important that you only use these under guidance from your treating team. Some people might also require antidepressant tablets during winter.
Keeping to your regular movement levels is also helpful. This might look different if you aren’t able to go on your regular run or beach walk but be flexible. What can you do indoors? Even YouTube loungeroom exercise routines are great for your body and mind. Healthy eating, especially green vegetables are recommended. This doesn’t mean turning away from carbohydrates when you want them, but making sure you’re giving your body and brain the help that it needs to get through the cold months.
Pexels: Julia Malushko
If you find you have seasonal low mood, talking to your doctor will help in making the diagnosis and they can advise which treatments are most suitable for you personally. They might even recommend a regular blood test, as benign issues such as low iron and vitamin D can also play havoc on our mood and can mimic the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Planning something fun and enjoyable can also be a massive help, can you lean into the colder months and head to the snow? A hike in the snow with friends? Winter will pass, and sunnier days are coming.
