A person in his/her daily life goes through soft and hard times as a part of life. Depending on these times one feels low sometimes, and sometimes there is a feeling of joy. If, however, the feeling of sadness persists for a long time, one may develop depression. There are different types of depression, one of which is seasonal depression (also called a seasonal affective disorder, or SAD).   Seasonal affective disorder is most common during the winter, which is the worst time of year for those who are prone to it.  

When does seasonal affective disorder start?

When it’s too cold out, and you can’t do anything but sit inside waiting for the sunrise. But sometimes even that won’t work. It is nearly impossible to see the sunrise during the winter season. It gives you a sense of depression that is intense and this is associated with Seasonal affective disorder.

A person cannot simply stay inside in the cold for hours or days in order to escape it. After a while, this season makes you feel like you are confined within four walls, which is certainly a sense of imprisonment.

Why does seasonal affective disorder occur?

Seasonal changes are responsible for it. The most common time for it to occur is during the fall. Most of the symptoms of SAD are similar to those of other types of depression. 

Is seasonal affective disorder serious?

When the cold and dark combine together, an individual might experience feelings of sadness, lack of energy, loss of interest in usual activities, excessive sleep, and weight gain during this period.

In order to get rid of them, one can go for natural ways like exercising, having healthy meals (full of nutrition,) enjoying the company of people they love to spend time with etcetera. 

However, sometimes these symptoms can change from mild to wild, indicating that proper treatment is needed at this point. In that case, talk to a healthcare professional or psychiatrist. Antidepressants, talk therapy, and light therapy are all used to treat depression. Remember not to ignore them instead cure them.

Discover Everything About Seasonal Depressive Disorder in detail

Throughout your life, have you ever noticed how your mood changes with the weather? Are you affected by it every year at the same time? 

Well! This is SAD. The seasonal affective disorder most generally refers to a form of depression that occurs when the seasons change, typically in the fall.

Colder months can also cause a mild version of SAD called the “winter blues.” It’s normal to feel a little down during this time of year. The sun sets early, and you’re stuck inside.

In response to sunlight, the brain releases more of the hormone serotonin. Researchers have linked serotonin with mood improvement, calmness, and concentration. So, it is certain how important sunlight is, for our well-being.

Seasonal affective disorder vs winter blues

SAD is characterized by:

• The presence of depression on a regular basis interferes with daily functioning.
• A lack of energy and a bad mood are the symptoms that start in the fall and continue until the end of winter.

Winter Blues is characterized by:

• In the dark, cold winter months, low emotions arise.
• Need more alone time and longer sleep.

Where is the seasonal affective disorder most common?

It is mostly noticed in different parts of the world, where there is no sunlight or less sunlight during the winter.

During the fall and early winter, seasonal depression becomes worse until spring arrives with sunnier days. Due to the desire of going outside but not being able to, gets a person to feel tired of winter.

How does seasonal affective disorder affect your life?

The symptoms of full-blown SAD go far beyond this. When you suffer from SAD, you feel and think differently than when you suffer from the winter blues. As a result, you can rely on treatment to support you during this difficult time.

Also called seasonal depression, it affects millions of people every year and makes their lives a little more difficult. This is why it is a very common disease but still needs to be taken seriously.

Are seasonal depression symptoms experienced by a certain percentage of people every year?

It is estimated that 40% of the year is devoted to symptoms. Winter further reduces daylight hours in locations farther north of the equator, making the symptoms more common to occur among people living further north of the equator.

On the contrary, it has been noticed that Summertime SAD is less common.

Studies have shown that it affects 5 percent of the overall population and women are more likely to be affected by it like by 3 to 1.

Seasonal Affective Disorder Symptoms: What do they look like?

Since early fall or early winter is the most common time for SAD symptoms to appear. So, they usually last until the spring. But that is not an assured piece of information. Because once you are hit by any kind of depression you never know how long you are going to suffer until you are making efforts against this obviously.  

There is, however, a possibility that symptoms may also appear at other times of the year. Furthermore, you may not be affected by the condition every year. Again, it totally depends on the type of person you are and how you deal with difficult times.

SAD can be classified as:

1. Seasonal affective disorder in winter
2. Seasonal affective disorder in summer

It is estimated that around 10 percent of people suffer from summer-pattern SAD. Which is said to be very less as compared to the formal one.

Seasonal Affective Disorder: How Long does it Last?

The following symptoms may be present in either pattern or last for about four to five months:

1. Feeling depressed: Feeling low and depressed all the time during a specific period of the year depicts that one is affected by this type of depression
2. Sleeping difficulties: When a person has trouble sleeping despite trying hard, this is a sign that they are depressed.
3. Energy deficit: If you find that you don’t feel like getting out of bed after a whole lot of rest and want to spend all day lying on the bed, then you are suffering from this form of depression.
4. Concentration issues: While working or while studying when one is not able to maintain a focus on things, it is one of the symptoms of Seasonal Depression.
5. Self-harm thoughts: One might feel so under stress that he/she can even feel like ending their life while suffering from seasonal affective disorder.

Additional symptoms of Seasonal depression with a winter pattern include:

1. Food overconsumption & putting on weight: Spending the whole day indoors causes a person to be stressed and eat excessively. Consequently, it results in weight gain.
2. Tiredness during the day: An individual is troubled by fatigue during most of the hours of the day.
3. Socially inactive: SAD causes a person to eat and sleep more. Social circles are reported to be reduced by people suffering from this type of mood disorder. Most people with mood disorders believe that others aren’t understanding their condition, which makes them prefer living in isolation.

Conversely, summer-pattern Seasonal depression may be characterized by:

1. Excessive anxiety: It is common for patients with summertime seasonal depression to feel anxious more frequently during the summer. Even small challenges seem daunting to them.
2. Insomnia: Sleeping is difficult for some people because they keep thinking about things all night long.
3. Feeling restless: Due to a long day of work and no sleep, it is obvious to feel restless for the people affected by this seasonal depression.
4. Appetite problems & weight loss: A decrease in appetite can cause weight loss for patients suffering from summertime SAD.
5. Violent behavior: When one can’t eat and sleep properly, he/she feels irritated and fatigued. It adversely affects their behavior and they become violent.

Seasonal affective disorder causes: Are they different from those of other depressions?

Despite the fact that we do not know its exact cause. Some scientists believe certain hormones that trigger attitude-related changes in the brain at certain times of year may be to blame. These hormonal changes may contribute to SAD, according to experts.

When there is no or less sunlight it hinders the natural production of serotonin (a chemical that makes your brain and body communicate via nerve signals.)

Therefore, in fall and winter, less sunlight leads to less serotonin production in the brain. This means that people’s mood gets disturbed because this chemical is related to mood-regulating brain pathways. 

In addition to this, defects in nerve cell pathways within the brain can lead to depression, fatigue, and weight gain when the nerve cell pathways are not functioning properly.

Women are more likely to suffer from SAD than men and it usually begins in young adulthood. It is possible to have mild symptoms of SAD, such as feeling unbalanced or cranky. Others suffer from more severe symptoms that interfere with their work and relationships.

Since SAD is associated with insufficient daylight in the winter, it’s less likely to occur in countries with plenty of sunlight all year.

1. The Change in Biological clock: During the winter, there is less sunlight. This causes the biological clock to shift and makes one feel life upside down. Hormones, mood, and sleep are all regulated by this internal clock. When the time shifts, you’re out of synchronization with your daily routine and can’t adjust to the new schedule. This can be a very common reason that leads one to cause mood disorders.
2. The Deficiency of Vitamin D: Vitamin D also promotes serotonin production. But then, the lack of sunlight in winter can cause vitamin D deficiency, since sunshine is necessary for vitamin D production. Without this one can experience mood swings.
3. Boost in Melatonin: Melatonin plays a vital role in your sleep patterns and mood. And melatonin production can be increased gradually in some people due to a lack of sunlight. That is why when winter rolls around, you may feel sleepy and sluggish.
4. The imbalance of Brain chemical:  Serotonin, a chemical that contributes to happiness, is one of these chemicals. There may already be a decrease in the amount of serotonin within your body if you are at risk of SAD. Moreover, due to the role sunlight plays in regulating serotonin, a lack of sun in the winter can worsen the condition. Unfortunately, the deficiencies in serotonin can worsen depression.

Effective ways to prevent seasonal affective disorder

1. Think ahead and plan prior: One should prepare his/her mind accordingly for the different weather versions. This is really helpful to prevent one from getting triggered by a mood disorder to some extent.
2. Maintain a healthy diet pattern: Avoid eating junk and unhealthy meals instead add a nutrition-rich meal into your diet. Healthy meals promote your physical as well as emotional and spiritual health. So, make an eating schedule for yourself if possible and stick to it on daily basis.
3. Self-care: Self-care is of utmost importance. One should make a habit of taking care of themselves. Self-care is characterized by making time for oneself like by going out with your loved ones, enjoying your favorite but healthy food, trying out a new hobby, cleaning your room if you like it, going out for a walk, enjoying nature etcetera.
4. A routine check-up with your psychiatrist: A routine check-up with your doctor is necessary if you are prone to SAD. You can take early steps to prevent it and there would be very less chances of you getting caught by these diseases.
5. Make exercise or workout as a part of the routine: Exercise can help a lot in dealing with depression without any doubt. If you don’t get time for exercise then try walking to your workplace, or to grocery stores if possible. In the morning or evening, only 30-40 minutes of the walk can be helpful against mood disorders.

Treating SAD: how does it work?

1. Light Therapy

A very common question is asked by mood disorder patients, what is the benefit of light to the SAD sufferers?

So, the answer is that this is something that many of you might have heard about. It is suggested that one should use it for approximately 20-30 minutes a day. And the morning time is recommended to use it so that when you wake up, you can energize yourself to do all the tasks of the day. Moreover, one should use it consistently, in order to see positive results.

2. Try out Antidepressants can Help

Psychiatrists advise that if light therapy and psychotherapy are not able to alleviate your symptoms, antidepressants may help.

3. Make a Schedule and Stick to it

In addition to having trouble getting up in the morning, people living with SAD often have trouble sleeping at night as well. Seasonal depression can be eased with regular sleep schedules. 

4. Get Away from it All & Go on Vacation

Winter depression can be treated with even a short vacation in a sunny place. Therefore, plan a vacation to places with warmer climate areas. 

5. Engage in Daily Exercise

The effects of SAD can be alleviated by exercising. Nevertheless, if it’s too cold to exercise outdoors, it is recommended to use a treadmill or stationary bike, near a window at home only, or instead, you can opt for yoga and meditation.

6. Consult Your Doctor

The diagnosis of SAD requires a mental health professional because it is a form of depression. Follow the advice provided by your healthcare professional and take their opinions into consideration. It is possible indeed to overcome SAD by seeing a professional. 

7. Let the Sunlight in Through the Windows or Spots

Take advantage of the sunlight during the day if you suffer from seasonal depression or wintertime SAD. Going out and grabbing some sunlight during the hottest part of the day is the best thing you can do on a cold day.

Make sure your blinds are open when you’re indoors to let in as much natural light as possible.

8. Don’t Forget to Take Vitamin D

Depression symptoms may be exacerbated by vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, try to include vitamin D-rich foods in your diet plans and ensure you get enough amount of sunlight during the day.  

What do healthierfolks want to say?

One must not ignore any symptom of mental ailment. You never know, what vulnerable condition it will drag you into. When you feel any type of mood disorder, it is recommended to keep a track of the symptoms and causes.

Seek the help of your family or doctor whenever you need it. Do not hesitate to talk to your family members or close ones, if you are experiencing any health issues.

Don’t wait for your symptoms to worsen and end up becoming a chronic disease, which will eventually require more time for treatment. It is important to practice seeing the good in all situations, to keep yourself happy. It is the only best way to achieve good health and a healthy brain.