Regular exercise is a powerful way to fight seasonal depression, especially if you're able to exercise outside in natural daylight. Regular exercise can boost serotonin, endorphins, and other feel-good brain chemicals. In fact, exercise can treat mild to moderate depression as effectively as antidepressant medication.
Treatment for seasonal affective disorder may include light therapy, medications and psychotherapy. If you have bipolar disorder, tell your doctor — this is critical to know when prescribing light therapy or an antidepressant. Both treatments can potentially trigger a manic episode.
Treatments for SAD
12 Ways to Ease Seasonal Depression
Why January is Known As the Most Depressing Month of the Year.
Low levels of vitamin D, caused by low dietary intake of the vitamin or not enough exposure to sunshine, have been found in people with SAD. However, it's unclear whether vitamin D supplementation can help to relieve SAD symptoms. Very little research has been done on dietary supplements other than vitamin D for SAD.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin” because your body can make it by using cholesterol and absorbing natural sunshine. Your mood may improve with as little as 10 minutes of sun exposure. This is why light therapy is an important treatment for SAD. Your body can also absorb vitamin D through food.
The age range is young because studies have shown that SAD decreases as you age. The most common ages are between 18 and 30. Luckily for those suffering from the winter blues, there are several things you can do besides therapy and medication to keep you motivated this winter.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you're like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.
Vitamin D therapy
Patients suffering from recurrent depression with a seasonal pattern have insufficient levels of vitamin D and research investigating this association suggests that daily intake of 100,000 IU of vitamin D may improve the depressive symptoms and general health.
Serotonin: the happy neurotransmitter
Serotonin levels have also been implicated in seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Frequency. Seasonal affective disorder occurs in 0.5 to 3 percent of individuals in the general population; it affects 10 to 20 percent of people with major depressive disorder and about 25 percent of people with bipolar disorder.
Yet No Comments