It wasn’t long ago that if someone felt down through the winter months, those around them were more likely to accuse them of laziness than to offer them a sympathetic ear. After all, is it any surprise that with the arrival of winter, its colder shorter days and the stresses that Christmas and the New Year bring, many people feel a bit down and struggle to keep their spirits up?

Most of us feel a little low at this time of year but for around half a million people in the UK it can be particularly difficult because they suffer with seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. This now well recognised form of depression means during the cold, dark winter months someone with untreated SAD feels more severely down all the time.

Come the winter

During the spring and summer months those with SAD usually feel fine, but some time between September and November they begin to experience many unpleasant symptoms. They may feel miserable, tired, depressed, lethargic, lacking in energy and irritable, for example. Some find their sleep is disturbed, that they oversleep or can’t get off to sleep. It’s common for people with SAD to eat more than usual, craving carbohydrates and sweet foods. A lack of sex drive is commonplace, activities usually enjoyed no longer provide pleasure and relationships are put under strain. 

In March or April, with the arrival of more daylight hours, the symptoms of SAD spontaneously disappear. It’s this recurring pattern that helps confirm the diagnosis and once someone has experienced two or three winters of symptoms, they can be said to be a sufferer.

Lack of daylight

The reduction in daylight exposure is believed to be the trigger for symptoms to re-appear each year. Although the mechanism for this is not exactly clear, it’s thought that lack of daylight disturbs the balance of chemicals within the part of the brain that regulates the body’s internal clock. This lack of light may cause the body clock to malfunction such that during the day there’s too much melatonin and not enough serotonin, leaving someone with SAD feeling tired, lethargic and depressed.

Light is believed to trigger production of serotonin, the brain chemical that helps us to feel happy’, whereas darkness and overcast days cause a lack of serotonin. In research, serotonin levels have be shown to be lower in depressed people in the winter. Another hormone felt to play a part is melatonin, which makes us feel tired and ready for sleep. Darkness causes melatonin production in the brain to be switched on, whereas light stops production, of melatonin enabling us to wake up. Those with SAD have been found to produce greater amounts of melatonin during the winter.

Who suffers?

Although Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln were said to have suffered SAD being a world leader isn’t a pre-requisite ­ although being under great stress makes SAD more likely. Women are at least twice as likely to suffer as men and SAD is most likely to appear between the ages of 18-30 years old. Life events such as bereavement and serious illness may trigger its onset.

As the distance someone lives from the equator increases and the winter days become shorter, a person’s risk of suffering SAD increases. People who have spent time living in the tropics and who then move to the UK are more vulnerable to SAD.

Until spring arrives

A number of treatments can successfully treat SAD. Those who suffer often know when their symptoms may begin and commence treatment a while before this, which often means they don’t experience symptoms at all. Prescribed antidepressant medication, with or without counselling therapy, effectively treats SAD.

Light therapy has been shown to be very beneficial. It involves sitting in front of a light box for a couple of hours each day and is believed to boost serotonin levels.

The herb St John’s wort has been shown in clinical studies to be an effective anti-depressant. It is thought to help prolong the action of serotonin as well as helping to reduce the stress response. It can also help to improve the quality of sleep. It should be taken every day throughout the winter until the arrival of spring. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist that it is safe for you to take it, particularly if you are taking other prescription or non-prescription medication. 

Stress needs to be kept in check and relaxation-breathing exercises, reading and listening to music help achieve this. Lavender is very relaxing used in an aromatherapy burner or added to a handkerchief to inhale. Camomile is relaxing when taken as a tea.

5-HTP is a natural precursor to serotonin in the body and can help to lift mood. B vitamins are used up quickly during periods of stress and a lack of these can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety, irritability and fatigue. Some sufferers find taking extra B vitamins, in particular B12, helpful. Ginseng can also help the body adapt to physical and emotional stress and fatigue as well as helping to improve energy levels.

Getting enough rest, reducing stress and eating a healthy diet help boost energy levels and lift mood. Bananas, for example, can help because they contain tryptophan that the body converts into serotonin. Exercise and spending more time outdoors during the daylight hours may be all that are needed to overcome mild SAD symptoms. When indoors, it’s a good idea to sit near the window and if you can get away for some winter sun, this can help.

9 possible symptoms of SAD

1. Tiredness
2. Depressed mood and mood swings
3. Lethargy
4. Lack of energy
5. Irritability
6. Often increased sleep
7. Often increased appetitie and weight gain
8. Anxiety
9. Avoidance of social contact

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