Seasonal Affective Disorder

Just been reading about this - for anyone who doesn't know, it's when people get depressed through lack of sunlight during the winter months. I know how they feel - I feel the same way during summer when there's very little night time and all my torches lay dormant, gathering dust....

Actually, my mother has that. Its depressive...

Sorry, didn't mean to cause any offence.

There are lights available for this disorder. I believe I read that thirty minutes a day under one of these lights help a great deal.

"Sorry, didn't mean to cause any offence."

None taken.

No, actually, it's not THAT depressive. She doesn't feel like doing anything.

SAD is very real. Even though I claim to like the winter and even prefer it to summer (I`m odd), I must admit it gets me too and I can feel pretty low and generally lethargic sometimes. Thank goodness for the Festive Season and all its pretty coloured lights and tinsel to brighten things for a month during the deepest depths of winter.

I wonder exactly how effective those full spectrum lightboxes are? I doubt I`ll try one as I won`t pay $300 for a plastic box with a full spectrum CFL inside. I have a daylight flourescent tube on top of the wardrobe that`s usually on all the time, it does brighten the corner of the room up and make it a little less gloomy, that`ll do me for now.....

My sister in law suffers from SAD. It is not easy for them at times. A sound machine that makes nature sounds like streams and birds is helpful as well as being outside as much as possible on those bright winter days. I did my duty and gave out Photons and other light generating gifts for their family this year .

There has been a statewide education program here in Alaska about SAD, its been a problem for many years and now its been proven that as little as 15 minutes a day under full spectrum lighting such as a grow light, metal halide or even a halogen lamp helps the body absorb the neccessary vitamins that benifit the pituitary glands that regulate us. I have 6 12V mini halogens from 20 to 50watts each on a power supply over my workbench, this helps me a lot during the winter when we only get 5-6 hours of weak sunlight a day. Once I was working in Nevada for a short time after moving to Alaska I installed wide spectrum high kelvin rated flourescent lamps in an industrial office building that had very few windows, the secretaries immediately noticed the difference and to say the least were very appreciated of it.

There's also a rare variant called "Summer SAD" caused by heat, humidity and too much light.

Don't confuse general lethergy with SAD. Everyone feels a little less energetic during the winter months.

It is classified as a psychological disorder and as such it's not just simply "I'm feeling down". Although I doubt all cases of SAD have been diagnosed correctly. ie. people hear about it, they associate they supposed 'symptoms' with it and believe they have it - self fulfilling prophesy. Much like ADHD: the scapegoat 'disorder' for many ill-disciplined kids.

Many people who experience "winter blues" or "holiday blues" may actually have this condition or a mild form of it.

I have suffered from SAD and have researched it extensively and have found I can manage it well with some awareness and 2 simple "treatments". I live in the sunny southern US where it is not so common, but lifestyle factors make it possible anywhere and more common all the time. I work an office job that keeps me indoors from around dawn to around sunset and mostly out of natural sunlight on most days during the heart of winter. I am also an avid wearer of sunglasses, which of course reduces the amount of sunlight reaching my eyes.

The tips about light boxes and indoor lighting upgrades are good, but were not very practical for me to implement. I have found 2 things that work for me quite well:

1. I use a "dawn simulator" which is a type of alarm clock that silently wakes me up by very gradually increasing the brightness of a light in my bedroom. Research has shown this to be an effective treatement for SAD. It is also just a pleasant, healthy and natural way to wake up vs. hearing an alarm.

2. I make an effort to expose myself to bright natural outdoor sunlight for at least 20 consecutive minutes around mid-day almost every day without wearing sunglasses, usually by getting out of the office for lunch. Studies have also shown this to be an effective treatment and is supposed to work even at extreme lattitudes such as in Alaska. In fact, it might be more accurate to say that the lack of this is really the cause of SAD. Lightbox treatments are an artificial version of this, but the sun is free.

The combination of these 2 methods works very well for me as either treatment or prevention. In fact, either one alone would probably be effective for most people. Relief from symptoms is usually achieved in just 3 or 4 days using these methods according to research.

Me too; dawn simulator and bright (not "full spectrum" just BRIGHT) light keep me going.

Best simple inexpensive dawn simulator:
http://www.humboldt1.com/~zerdo costs about $50;

One source I recommend -- info, dawn simulators and lights reviewed and sold (an old friend of mine for over 30 years, who helped me build my own first light boxes): http://www.getlux.com

They have a couple of more expensive (one of them adjustable-time) dawn simulators, made for many years by "Pi Square".

Mine is set for a late-August dawn (brightening between 5:30 am and 7 am, with the adjustable PiSquare device). With the non-adjustable type, I use between 6:15 and 7 am. After the first few days the dawn sim won't wake you, but you wake more easily when the alarm does sound.

Don't fiddle with the timing! You can give yourself jet lag by moving the settings back and forth.

If I had to give up all but one tool for SAD, I'd keep the dawn simulator.

Best SAD light I know of is from Northern Light Technologies -- twin biax fluorescent tubes in a large-desk-lamp design.

Usenet newsgroup alt.support.depression.seasonal was very good for years; Google Groups can find that for you.

For a stunning chart of mood over time see the December 1989 Scientific American article by Wurtman on "Carbohydrates and Depression" -- everyone has the seasonal variation, people with SAD have a much greater variation.

In April ("the cruelest month") people with less variation are already well on their way to being happy, while people with SAD area still very close to the bottom of the pit. That's the cruelest month maybe because people who don't have SAD feel fine and haven't any clue how those of us with SAD still are feeling then.

I also have the adjustable dawn simulator from "Pi Square," I think it's called the SunUp. I have been very happy with it, but I can't believe these things are not a whole lot less expensive. I think I paid $185 and they seem to have about $15 worth of technology in them. I guess it's a niche product. My first one seemed pretty sensitive to electronic noise, so I put it's warranty replacement unit on a surge protector with good results.

Still, they are worth it and I would probably want one even if I didn't have SAD. I have seen several nice-looking ones in the $50 range recently.