A Wealth of Health | How to cope with seasonal affective disorder | Culture

Roughly half a foot of snow was dumped on Harrisonburg on Jan 16. In the immediate aftermath, maybe you were enjoying JMU’s hilly sledding spots and the cancellation of the first day of classes with steamy hot chocolate and fuzzy pajamas.

But post-snow days stacked, ice was everywhere, schoolwork was back and computers strained your eyes late into the night. The treacherousness of walking to class atop icy surfaces in single-digit temperatures was maybe a rude awakening to the spring semester.

The result? Spending less time outside, potentially increased sluggishness and less motivation — all of which are catalysts or results of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

What is SAD?

SAD is a type of Depression related to the changing seasons. It usually intensifies as the days get shorter in the fall, then wanes by the spring, and living far from the equator is a common catalyst for SAD, according to Mayo Clinic. Additionally, 15% of people diagnosed with SAD share it with a first-degree relative.

Catherine Zeman, JMU academic unit head for health sciences, said the disorder is prevalent in the winter because there are less lumens being emitted from the sun – lessened strength of light – resulting in a lower amount of serotonin produced when outside.

Serotonin has been shown to have a direct impact on your mood. During the day time and regardless of the season, serotonin is more readily produced than melatonin, the sleep supplementing neurotransmitters. Then, in the winter, earlier sunsets can negatively alter our circadian rhythms, Zeman said — in turn, less of the mood-boosting neurotransmitter is made.

You can also get serotonin via a supplement, but Zeman recommends naturally getting the neurotransmitter via sunlight because otherwise, it gets broken down and digested in your stomach, and therefore, you might not get serotonin’s full effects.

“Too often, we’ve kind of looked at medications as a quick fix for things, and there’s always going to be some side effects or concerns with that,” Zeman said. “If you can take a different approach first and help resolve the problem, that’s usually the better way.”

Staying up past dark with artificial light may play a role in increasing the prevalence of SAD — more so than with previous generations.

“We can work and talk and do things and study and learn and read in ways that, before the electrical light rays, none of our ancestors could,” Zeman said. “But again, then you have to think of the other side of that … We have driven that balance in ways it was never sort of intended to be driven in a very short period of time.”

Renee Staton, JMU’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program director, said there can be warning signs of the onset of SAD. Sometimes, she said, symptoms of SAD are exacerbated by our own anticipation and feeling of sluggishness creeping in every winter.

“It’s almost this realization,” Staton said. “There’s a cognitive component to it, of like, ‘Oh, crap, here we go; right here, here we go. I know what this is going to mean, I felt like this last year, and I [felt] like this the year before.’”

When these feelings encroach, Staton said many people either self-diagnose themselves with SAD or discount their symptoms by saying, “Oh, everybody feels draggy.” Regardless of our initial hunch, it’s a disorder that genuinely affects people, she said, and is therefore worthy of treatment.

Staton said people who experience symptoms of SAD also typically consume more carbohydrates than usual. This can accelerate feelings of sluggishness because a slow-digesting carb like pasta or sweet potato releases sugars throughout the night, which is ideal for sleeping. More carbs, combined with a shotty circadian rhythm and less time outside, can cultivate what seems like a months-on-end cycle of drowsy eyes and lousy feet.

Managing the SADness

At the very least, there are ways to manage SAD, Zeman and Staton said.

One way, Staton said, is to simply move your work space closer to a window. This allows for more of the sun’s rays to find your body while remaining productive in the day and preventing work from dragging into the night.

Zeman said you can combat the winter sun’s less intense light through light therapy, ideally one hour after waking up, to balance your circadian rhythm. This therapy can help Sustain a good mood and higher energy and is done through a light box — the box is a square screen; Zeman said to use a light box that produces about 10,000 lumens and little to no ultraviolet (UV) rays but to keep the box to the side of your face to prevent damage to the eye’s cornea. A highly rated light box can range from $30-$50 on Amazon.

To heighten light therapy’s benefits, Zeman recommended journaling or reading a book while taking in the light. Staton said activities that are “mindful, centered and are pleasantly, appropriately productive” fit the bill, but Zeman said the light box isn’t a tanning booth.

In extreme cases of SAD, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help mitigate its effects, Staton said. CBT, op short-term therapy that improves problem-solving skillshas a history of being an effective approach to depression and mood disorders like SAD, but its success hinges on the psychologist practitioner-client relationship, she said.

What’s most important during SAD season, Staton said, is to be “incredibly kind to yourself.” Meaning, it’s OK if you don’t have time to do everything in a day, and if you’re experiencing SAD, you might have days where you’re not continuing your normal routine like other people. Additionally, Staton said keeping a journal where you keep track of what made you feel better or more motivated throughout the day can help you get through the winter doldrums.

Making gentle lifestyle changes during the winter while maintaining hope for spring, Staton said, can also make this season more bearable. And when the sun begins to stay out longer, she said, usually SAD symptoms begin to diminish.

“The irony is, as we tell people, you have to engage in self-care and wellness, [but] the demands of school, the demands of assistantships or work or jobs don’t necessarily let up,” Staton said. “Ideally, part of the college experience can be learning what do you personally need to be as healthy as possible in this environment?”

Contact Grant Johnson at breezecopy@gmail.com. For more health & wellness content, stay tuned for the “A Wealth of Health” column every other Thursday, and follow the culture desk on Twitter and Instagram @Breeze_Culture.

source https://www.bisayanews.com/2022/02/13/a-wealth-of-health-how-to-cope-with-seasonal-affective-disorder-culture/