Seasonal Affective Disorder

Today is the first full day of winter. During the winter, we are exposed to the least amount of sunlight as compared to the rest of the year. This situation can trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which can also be called “The Winter Blues” or “Cabin Fever”.

I believe that we need to be exposed to sunlight on a regular basis in order to reach optimum health. Sunlight not only produces vitamin D3 in our skin, but a number of not yet discovered biochemical reactions may also be occurring when the skin is exposed to sunlight.

Some of us suffer more than others from this lack of sunlight. An estimated 20% of Americans are affected by SAD each winter, suffering from the blues, fatigue and in some cases, more serious depression.
Worldwide, SAD strikes about 1 in 20 people. What differentiates SAD from regular depression is that a full remission occurs in the spring and summer months.

Your health and mood are intricately tied to exposure to sunlight. For example, your serotonin levels (the hormone typically associated with elevating your mood) rise when you’re exposed to bright light.

Your melatonin levels also rise and fall with light and darkness. When it’s dark, your melatonin levels increase, which prepares you for sleep. This is why you may feel tired when the sun sets.

Scientists generally recommend full-spectrum light therapy over selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac or Zoloft for this condition, since it is caused by a lack of full spectrum light. Full-spectrum light therapy has virtually no side effects.

5 Natural Ways To Combat SAD:

1. Try to get more full spectrum light exposure, either from the sun or from phototherapy. Blue light has been found to be particularly beneficial for boosting mood, more so than red or green light. Blue light has a wavelength of about 500 nm. According to one 2010 study, blue light appears to play a key role in your brain’s ability to process emotions and its results suggest that spending more time in blue-enriched light could help prevent and/or treat SAD and depression. Blue light is prevalent in outdoor light, so your body absorbs the most during the summer and much less in the winter.

Keep in mind that blue light at night should be avoided, as it can impair your sleep. One of the reasons for insomnia and poor sleep is due to excessive exposure to blue light-emitting technologies such as TV and computer screens. The blue light depresses melatonin production, thereby preventing you from feeling sleepy.

2. Get enough vitamin D3. I usually suggest 5,000 IU/day, about 300 mg of magnesium and 100 mcg of vitamin K2 (MK7), which all help calcium get into the bones and teeth, instead of into the soft tissues and blood vessels. Make sure to get your vitamin D tested at least once a year. Vitamin D deficiencies can be related to depression. Vitamin A, zinc, and boron are other important cofactors that interact with vitamin D. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also contribute to depression and affects one in four people.

3. Eating right can get you going in the right direction. Refined sugar and processed fructose in particular are known to have a very detrimental impact on your brain function and mental health. Cutting out artificial sweeteners and food dyes will also eliminate your chances of suffering their toxic effects. I also recommend supplementing your diet with a high quality animal-based omega-3 fats. A 2009 study showed that people with lower blood levels of omega-3s were more likely to have symptoms of depression and a more negative outlook while those with higher blood levels demonstrated the opposite emotional states.

4. Gut health - Restoring health to your gut is also of prime importance. Your gut is literally your second brain and can significantly influence your mind, mood and behavior. Your gut actually produces more mood-regulating serotonin than your brain does. To optimize your gut microbiome, eat real food, and try to include traditionally fermented foods such as fermented vegetables, kefir, kombucha, and others. Ideally, you’ll want to have all whole foods and foods cooked from scratch.

5. Exercise primarily works by helping to normalize your insulin levels while simultaneously boosting “feel good” hormones in your brain. Researchers have also discovered that exercise allows your body to eliminate kynurenine, a harmful protein associated with depression.

Also, make sure you get enough sleep. The link between depression and lack of sleep is well established. Of the approximately 18 million Americans with depression, more than half of them struggle with insomnia. While it was long thought that insomnia was a symptom of depression, it now seems that insomnia may precede depression in some cases.

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