How to beat winter depression: Seasonal affective disorder treatment

Do you often feel more moody and less excited in winter? Perhaps you haven't experienced it, but someone around you typically goes through depression at about the same time yearly. This is known as seasonal affective disorder, commonly known as winter depression.

Seasonal affective disorder or winter depression is depression that often becomes apparent during the winter.

For some people with seasonal affective disorder, manic symptoms may appear during summer, but they feel better in winter.

Question is, what causes seasonal affective disorder, and how can you beat winter depression?

Seasonal affective disorder symptoms

The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include:

• Persistent low mood
• Loss of interest in day-to-day activities
• Loss of energy (lethargy)
• Feeling hopeless, worthless, or guilty
• Tendency to sleep longer than normal
• Daytime drowsiness
• Irritability
• Inclination towards snacks and junk food
• Decreased libido

The symptoms of winter depression are basically the same as depression, but they typically manifest in winter.

What causes SAD?

Think about it: what differentiates winter from summer? Simple: sunlight!

This may sound too simplistic, but it's science-backed. Studies have linked the lack of sunlight in winter to winter depression.

Previous studies show that people with SAD typically show symptoms during the dark months. And a more recent study on climate change revealed that in Finland, when the sun barely rises above the horizon, more people develop depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.

It doesn't stop there.

Mania (the opposite of depression) is more frequent in summer (the opposite of winter).

The main theory is that a lack of sunlight stops the hypothalamus from working properly. The hypothalamus is involved in the:

• Production of serotonin: a hormone affecting mood, appetite, and sleep.
• Production of melatonin: a hormone that makes you feel drowsy.
• Circadian rhythm: the body's internal clock that regulates sleep time and waking time.

When these hormones are thrown off balance, the low mood and sleepiness characteristic of winter depression become a no-brainer.

However, the risk of having SAD may possibly be influenced by genetics as it appears to run in families.

How to beat winter depression

Now, the big question: how do you beat winter depression?

Get enough sunlight.

Since the lack of sunlight may be causing your seasonal affective disorder, the best way to treat it is to get enough sun exposure.

Natural sunlight can be a profound source of energy. While darkness induces melatonin that makes you sleep, sunlight increases the production of serotonin which makes you feel alive, happy, and bursting with energy. So you want to get as much of it as possible in winter.

Understandably, that's not easy, especially when you live closer to the North Pole.

But if your daily routine allows you to step out during the day, even just for an hour, do so, and let the sun smile on you.

Otherwise, get bright light therapy, a special lamp that simulates natural sunlight. Bright light therapy is a standard treatment for seasonal affective disorder.

When you feel lethargic and winter blues have literally overshadowed you, all you might need is just a little light in the darkness.

Need expert help?

If you've tried all you could and it seems the clutches of depression have taken a strong hold on you, talk to us at Hope Mental Health. As licensed mental health care providers, we will work with you to find a treatment plan that works for you.

Contact us today.

Author

Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults.  Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality. If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.