Are You Feeling the Wintertime Blues?

By David Edelberg, M.D.

The wintertime blues, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD) usually begin when the days start getting shorter and the sky clouds overinto perpetual grey. People with SAD dread October because the clocks move backan hour and, in a single day, autumn twilight becomes dark night.

Symptoms of SADinclude depression, brain fog, easy sleepiness, carb craving and weight gain.

10 Easy Steps to TurnThem Around

1. Go outsideand walk briskly with your face in the light--even if it’s grey outside--for 20minutes every day. Both the light and the exercise will kick up your feel-good  serotonin. Of course, if the wind-chilloutside will deep-freeze your face, find a health club with windows, locate atreadmill or a stationary bike in the brightest light and hop on.

2. Keep yourcurtains or blinds pulled open all the way so sunlight (or daylight, even oncloudy days) can pour into your living/work space.

3. Paint yourwalls light colours--they’ll reflect the light.

4. If your carhas a sun roof let in the light while you drive (singing along to yourfavourite song is optional)

5. Increase thewattage of your light bulbs to 5,000 and 10,000 lux (units of light). Choosesubcompact fluorescent bulbs, (a bit more expensive I know). The newer bulbsdon’t have the annoying flicker and strange light that the old tubes used tohave. If you have any sort of a desk job, then buy yourself a full spectrumlight box (available on-line) and aim it at your languishing self for an hour aday.

            6. Add the rawmaterials your body needs to make more serotonin by taking these supplementsevery day: 2 grams of fish oil and one B complex 100

7. Eat a small amountof high quality carbohydrates with every meal and as snacks throughout yourday. Fruits, nuts, veggies, and whole grains are among the best choices, as arebeans, soups, and oatmeal. You need a little carbohydrate at every meal foryour brain to produce serotonin. In fact, craving comfort foods in the winteris your body’s cry for more carb’s to boost serotonin--but please, if you wantto keep your weight stable, make good food choices most of the time.

8. Premenstrualaggravation of wintertime blues is very common. If you notice a worsening inthe week or so before your period, understand that your hormones are takingyour serotonin levels on a roller-coaster ride; when your estrogens drops, asit does in the week before your period, your feel-good serotonin goes rightalong with it.

9. Try alternativetherapies: acupuncture and Chinese herbal remedies-together called traditionalChinese medicine--have seasonal component that make them effective for mildwintertime blues. Flower essence therapies like honeysuckle, mustard, and sweetchestnut all have antidepressant and energising qualities. And bodyworktherapies such as massage and Reiki allow your chi to flow freely throughoutyour body, reducing symptoms of wintertime blues.

10. If afterthe ideas in items 1-9 haven’t budged, consider taking St John’s wort or 5HTP, both of whichincrease serotonin levels.