WOMEN
Don’t Be Sad
A
s soon as the winter season sets in, do you start
feeling depressed and lazy? Many would agree
to this statement. But have you ever wondered
why you are experiencing such intense negative feelings? No, it’s not because you are not satisfied with your
life. You have been feeling low because you might be
experiencing a Seasonal Affective Disorder. Most of us
are unaware that such a condition even exists but it’s
time we recognize it as this disorder can have dire effects on our life. Seasonal affective disorder or (SAD),
is a type of depression that is related to changes in
seasons. SAD begins and ends around the same times
every year and the symptoms are likely to start in the
fall, as the days start getting shorter and continue into
the winter months. The symptoms are typically most severe during December, January and February. It is important to keep in mind not to compare SAD with the
normal ‘winter blues’ that everyone experiences due to
the cold weather. This is because the winter blues just
make you lazy and lethargic, whereas people with SAD
are significantly unhappier and suffer major setbacks in
their life. SAD affects about one to two per cent of the
population, particularly women and young people, while
a milder form of winter blues may affect as many 10 to
20 per cent of people.However, SAD is not a condition
that one should ignore as it can have an impact on your
mood, sleep, appetite, energy levels, and takes a toll on
one’s relationships, social life, work and sense of selfworth. The good news is, like other forms of depression,
SAD is also treatable. The more you understand about
seasonal depression, the better equipped you will be to
manage or even prevent it. Read on to find out more...
Causes:
Winter depression is still a mystery to scientists. But researchers agree that people who suffer from seasonal
affective disorder are particularly sensitive to light, or the
lack of it. Many factors including brain chemicals, ions
in the air, and genetics seem to be involved the cause
of SAD. According to scientists, seasonal affective disorder is due to a ‘phase-shift’ of the circadian rhythm.
Basically, a circadian rhythm is a roughly 24 hour cycle
in the physiological processes of living beings, including
plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria. The decrease
in sunlight may disrupt your body’s internal clock and
lead to feelings of depression. The wall clock may tell
you it’s time to get up, but your body’s internal clock
says you should be resting. Another cause is the drop
in serotonin levels and an increase in melatonin levels.
Serotonin is a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood and reduced sunlight can cause a drop in
serotonin that may trigger depression. The melatonin
levels on the other hand play a role in sleep patterns and
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