How many of you spend most of your day in the dark? I don’t mean unaware of your surroundings, I mean literally get up in the morning in the dark, work all day indoors and then return home in the evening in the dark.
All of the “darkness” can lead to S.A.D. ( seasonal affective disorder). SAD is real and it is emotionally draining to a lot of Ontarians and Canadians.
There are many different treatments for classic (winter-based) seasonal affective disorder, including light therapy with sunlight or bright lights, antidepressant medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, ionized-air administration and carefully timed supplementation of the hormone melatonin and exposure to UVB.
Symptoms of SAD may consist of difficulty waking up in the morning, morning sickness, tendency to oversleep and over eat, especially a craving for carbohydrates, which leads to weight gain. Other symptoms include a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating on or completing tasks, and withdrawal from friends, family, and social activities and decreased sex drive. All of this leads to depression, pessimistic feelings of hopelessness, and lack of pleasure which characterize a person suffering from this disorder.
A boost in Vitamin D can also help greatly with S.A.D. With our suns seasonal changes we aren’t able to get the Vitamin D needed to fight off S.A.D. Vitamin D is readily available in our food, but is it enough? Spending just one minute in a sun bed can provide 1000 iu of Vitamin D which means you don’t have to spend several minutes at a time in a sunbed and risk overexposure, just one little minute will do the trick to boost Vitamin D and combat the symptoms of S.A.D.
Greetings!
Tan Smart 