What is seasonal affective disorder?
The shorter daylight hours of the autumn and winter seasons can affect sleep, productivity and state of mind. Light therapy (also known as phototherapy) may help. It uses specially designed boxes that emit full-spectrum light to simulate sunlight. While still a relatively unknown treatment, light therapy has been shown to have positive benefits in addressing many health issues, including Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), severe premenstrual syndrome, bulimia, and as a non-drug treatment for depression. Some research suggests that a vitamin D deficiency might underlie SAD symptoms and that supplementing with vitamin D might help. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 4 kiwis are low in vitamin D and a very small percentage are clinically deficient. The NZ govt did a large study on this very topic back in 2008-09.
If you have been suffering from SAD or just feel a little blue this time of year, contact your physician or healthcare provider. Depression is a treatable condition; light therapy may be an option worth trying and be certain to check your 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood level as well during this season to ensure adequate levels. This can be done as a part of general blood tests you might get at your doctor but does cost a little more than the usual test and you may need to pay a bit extra to find out you Vit D levels.
Fortunately the climate we live in here in Aotearoa is sunny enough to give us a boost during summer and this lasts into winter for most people but around later winter early sprint is when we may start to feel the effect of dropping levels of Vit D in our system reflected in our mood.
Seasonal affective disorder can simply be a need for us to get into the sun once we start approaching the warmer months or supplementing with fish oil to get the boost we need before that. If we can stave off the effects of low vitamin D them the impact of SAD may never darken our door and we will head into spring and summer feeling great.