Feeling SAD?

  With fall term well on its way, it’s that time of year in which we begin vamping up our winter wardrobes and stocking up on tissues and cough drops for our book bags. Winter holidays are just around the corner and everyone is preparing for family gatherings and winter gorging. With the hustle and bustle just beginning, the daylight dwindling and the chill in the air, some of us can start to get a little down. Are you one of the ‘”some”? 

If you have fatigue or constantly need to oversleep, overeat and stock up on carbohydrates and sugar, have a decreased sex drive, irritable, withdrawal from family and friends, and have difficulty concentrating or even walking, well you’re not alone. 

These symptoms are extremely common during the months leading up and during the bleak winter months. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you are clinically depressed or need medication. Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a very common disorder that affects 10 to 20 percent of Americans every year and 70 to 80 percent of that is made up from women. It is even more common in young women living in higher latitudes that receive less sun than the lower latitudes. I have talked to many young women on campus who feel the effects of this disorder every single year. 

From what I gather, this seasonal depression also referred to as the “winter blues” is caused by an imbalance of serotonin levels or lack thereof. 

Without enough serotonin, a range of bodily functions is affected, as well as, your mood. When light passes through your eyes into your brain, serotonin is released. During the fall and winter, there is less daylight than in the spring and summer, which causes a drop in your body’s serotonin levels. This is why people who are cooped up in an office for ten hours a day or students who are inside studying all day can have this disorder.

The most important thing to do when you start noticing these symptoms is to force yourself out of bed or off of the couch and take a walk outside. Bundle up and just do it. You will warm up as you go. You can also go to the gym, pick a window machine and get some exercise. Add more light to your environment by going and getting a box of fluorescent light bulbs and a couple more lamps. This is called “light therapy” and is as easy as the name suggests. It is the most common way of treating S.A.D. though I am all for the exercise. You can also combat this disorder with a consistent sleep schedule, steering away from eating excessively (with the Thanksgiving exception) and effectively and healthfully managing your stress. Stay on top of it and don’t let it overcome you. If it worsens, you may want to go talk to the school nurse and see where to go from there.

Good luck to all of you. Stay healthy, active and please people, stay home if you’re sick.