It’s been a long winter. While the high and low temperatures have been relatively normal, cloudy, gray skies dominated in both December and February. Much of those months were marked as being overcast and dreary. November, December, and February have seen plenty of rain, freezing rain, fog, and sleet.
Another factor that makes seasonal affective disorder (SAD) so prevalent is the shorter days. In December, Fresno residents saw just over 9.5 hours of daylight. The weather, darker days, and lack of sunshine can make you feel sick. It’s not just in your head. You can’t force the weather to be sunny and warm. You can take steps to prevent SAD, but it’s something you’ll need a doctor’s help with.
What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
SAD is a mental health illness, a form of depression to be exact. You may have heard it called the “winter blues.” It’s prevalent in the fall and winter, and it’s believed that it’s the lack of sunlight that triggers a change in your brain chemicals.
The lack of sunlight boosts melatonin production, and melatonin is responsible for your circadian rhythm and mood. It also reduces serotonin, which is your happiness chemical. When your serotonin levels are balanced, your mood improves. It’s not just a mood disorder, however. It can manifest with both emotional and physical symptoms.
While SAD is thought of as a winter condition, it can also impact your life in the summer. Summer SAD often includes symptoms like weight loss, insomnia, restlessness, fidgeting, aggression, and anxiety.
Some people become sad or depressed around the holidays. Christmas makes you feel anxious and restless. You might feel like withdrawing from all social events. While you may feel that is all part of the winter blues, it’s not. Holiday depression is different and associated with the stress of family visits, social events, holiday shopping, and preparing your home. Make sure you’re not confusing holiday stress with SAD.
Take a Closer Look at the Symptoms of SAD
Main symptoms of SAD are depression and anxiety. Does any of this sound familiar:
- You crave sugary, fatty, high-carb foods.
- You experience problems with concentration and clear thoughts.
- You feel guilty and worthless.
- You feel hopeless or sad at all hours.
- You find it hard to get out of bed.
- You lose interest in activities you used to love.
- You struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep (insomnia).
- You wake up way too early.
- You’re irritable.
- You’re tense and cannot cope reasonably with added stress.
- You’re tired all the time and find yourself drifting to sleep in the middle of the day.
- Your mood swings frequently and often without cause.
- Your self-esteem decreases.
- Your sex drive decreases or disappears.
- You think about dying or committing suicide, at which point go to Premium Urgent Care immediately for help or call or text California’s crisis hotline at 988.
There are also physical symptoms. Your digestive system isn’t working normally. You feel bloated or you have abdominal cramps. You might experience problems with constipation or diarrhea. It’s hard to tell what you’re going to experience each day, but your digestive system is not acting as it used to.
Muscle cramps and pain are another way SAD manifests physically. You’re lying down to sleep and your leg cramps start. You might find your shoulders or back ache every day. This can be tied to tension related to anxiety. Weight gain from the food cravings also puts extra strain on your muscles, which adds to the pain you experience.
Headaches are another problem. With constant headaches, you don’t know what you can do to stay focused on work or college. It’s hard to sleep when your head is pounding.
The problem with those mental and physical symptoms that come with seasonal depression is that they can be tied to other conditions. You cannot just brush them off as SAD. You need a proper diagnosis.
How Does SAD Make You Feel?
How does SAD feel? It’s different for everyone. Here’s one person’s experience with seasonal depression.
“I’ve experienced SAD since my 20s. As winter sets in and the sun rises later in the morning and sets before dinner, I become sleepy throughout the day. Even after eight hours of sleep, I still wake and feel exhausted. By noon, I find myself drifting off in the middle of the work day. If I nap, I wake up and want to go to bed. It isn’t refreshing at all. I liken it to feeling sluggish and like every movement takes extra energy because I’m so tired.
I crave carb-heavy foods throughout the winter. A hearty stew packed with potatoes and carrots served with homemade baguettes sounds amazing. Warm desserts like bread pudding or sticky toffee pudding are other cravings. That makes weight gain a problem, and the weight gain drags me down and does make my muscles and joints ache if it’s too cold, windy, rainy, snowy, or icy to go outside for walks and to stretch out.”
Who Is at Risk of Developing SAD?
Most people find SAD develops in their adult years, usually between the ages of 20 and 30. About 5% of the population has this mental health condition. The older you are, the higher the risk. It’s uncommon in children. It’s also more common in women. Of those diagnosed with seasonal depression, 80% are women.
SAD Treatment Options
How do you treat SAD? One thing that doctors recommend is taking vitamin D. Sunlight provides your body with the vitamin D it needs, as many people do not get enough from the foods they eat. A vitamin D supplement is important. A healthy diet that avoids weight gain is equally important.
Light therapy that mimics natural sunlight is also very effective. It’s expensive, but a bright light box at home makes it easy to expose your body to more sunlight during the day. These devices are filtered to remove damaging, cancer-causing UV rays.
Others need antidepressants to get through the winter or summer if you have summer-pattern SAD. Finding the right prescription may take time, but your doctor can help you find a medication that works well and helps you feel like yourself again.
Finally, psychotherapy is an effective option. Counseling helps you learn healthier ways of behaving and thinking to change some of the aspects that increase your depression.
No matter which treatment works best, it’s best to start treatments before winter or summer arrives. If you get ahead of the symptoms, you can avoid experiencing SAD at all.
When winter doesn’t seem to want to give up its grip, there are solutions that help you feel better. Consult with a doctor at Premium Urgent Care to get the help you need to stop feeling dragged down and unenthusiastic. Be active and enjoy life with the help of our team of SAD experts.