Shortening days, lack of light, cooler temperatures… For most people, the transition to fall/winter, and particularly the time change, rhymes with seasonal depression – also called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It is characterized by low mood, lethargy, reduced pleasure and excessive sleepiness.
While this disorder can affect anyone, you should know that women are four times more likely than men to develop SAD. It is estimated that many other people also suffer from it, in a milder form called “winter blues.” In an article in the Washington Post, the man who discovered seasonal depression in 1984, Norman Rosenthal, gives his advice for dealing with it.
Treatment with light therapy
“If you are one of those people who really feels it and feels bad, you are far from alone and there are many things you can do about it», Declares the one who is a psychiatrist at the Faculty of Medicine of Georgetown University, in Washington (United States).
Researchers believe that winter seasonal depression is caused by reduced daylight, which can throw our internal circadian rhythm out of sync with outdoor natural light cycles.
At the same time, light is stimulating and improves mood; Specialized photoreceptors in our retina are directly connected to areas of the brain related to mood. Research also shows that levels of serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation, vary seasonally.
To combat seasonal depression, we must therefore bring more light where it is lacking. The standard treatment is light therapy, using a special lamp delivering at least 10,000 lux – conventional indoor lights are generally less than 1,000 lux, while direct sunlight can reach around 100,000 lux.
According to a 2015 study, light therapy is effective in improving mood and reducing symptoms of seasonal affective disorder in about 64% of patients. Although symptoms of seasonal affective disorder usually peak in January and February, their onset can vary from person to person. The specialist therefore advises being attentive to what you feel as soon as fall/winter arrives.
