Seasonal Affective Disorder
The discovery of light's ability to suppress the production of melatonin gave rise to a wealth of research throughout the 1980's, particularly amongst doctors and scientists looking at the cycle of depression, and other problems, associated with changes in the seasons of the year.
This research into what became known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) also prompted widespread public interest, leading to a number of best-selling books on the subject and a cottage industry of people making light boxes.
Most of us feel a bit 'down' from time to time during the short dark days of winter. You don't seem to have a lot of energy, you find it difficult to get up in the morning and you start putting on a few pounds.
Well, in the case of SAD suffers, they feel exactly the same way - except that their symptoms are magnified to the point at which they feel permanently depressed and tired.
They simply feel unable to cope with the trials and tribulations or everyday life and want to withdraw from the world.
In extreme case of SAD, sufferers' appetites become much increased and they gain a substantial amount of weight. In addition, they will often sleep more, sometimes adding as much as three or four hours to their sleep.
I should point out that SAD sufferers experience the same symptoms that many of us suffer during the winter period - they simply suffer them to a much greater degree. If you find yourself putting on a bit of weight, feeling a little depressed and sleeping a bit more, it doesn't mean that you suffer from SAD.
The key to SAD lies in the change in length between day and night during the winter months which, as the days shorten and the nights lengthen, confuses your internal body clock. As darkness falls earlier and earlier in the day your body clock starts to re-adjust and tells your brain that it's time to sleep. Similarly, as the light appears later and later in the morning, your body clock responds by telling your brain that it's not time to get up yet.
Now we don't want to get too far off track here with a discussion about SAD. After all, this book is about finding solutions to your sleeping problems and SAD falls somewhat outside of this subject area.
In relation to the use of light therapy to assist in overcoming insomnia, however, research into SAD, and in particular the changes to your internal body clock, represent the key to the use of bright light therapy to assist in the cure of insomnia.
Next >>> Bright Light Therapy As A Cure For Insomnia
Best sellers from
Winter Blues, Revised Edition: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal A...
by Norman E. Rosenthal MD
Amazon Price: $11.84
Customer Review: Winter Blues is THE classic book on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Rosenthal started his psychiatric career as a research fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and was one of the original researchers. In this addition, he also references his own experiences with SAD and what has been helpful to himself.
While t...
Seasonal Affective Disorder For Dummies
by Laura L. Smith, Charles H. Elliott
Amazon Price: $13.59
Customer Review: No need for a long review here. This is a great book on seasonal affective disorder, also known as SAD. It's written in the typical "For Dummies" format: uses layman's terms, icons througout the book to alert you to key points, organized in an easy-to-follow manner (i.e. paragraphs/ideas broken up in the chapters for easier "digestion" of the info)...
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Who Gets It, What Causes It, How to Cure It
by Angela Smyth
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Seasonal Affective Disorder: Practice and Research
by Timo Partonen, S. R. Pandi-Perumal
Amazon Price: $125.00
Don't Jump! The Northwest Winter Blues Survival Guide
by Traci Vogel, Novella Carpenter
Amazon Price: $11.86
Customer Review: I read the two other reveiws and I'm guessing this is in the "I love it" or the "I'd leave it on the shelf" kind of book. I bought it for my wife a year ago and she picks it up again and again. It is a very silly book. The stars are for those without enough silly in their lives. It's a good laugh and I'd like to see another like it. It is wort...
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Until then, the agency recommends that if you suffer from depression or seasonal affective disorder, do not self-treat the condition with vitamin D. Have ...
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Whether or not it is scientifically accepted, maybe it is a kind of a ?spring depression? that could be seen as linked to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). ...
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Some people fighting Seasonal Affective Disorder - Fox 28
16 Feb 2010 at 7:21pm
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Whether it's the lack of Vitamin D from the sun or just a lack of good weather, this is the time of year for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). ...
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Seasonal affective disorder can take mental, physical toll - Washington Obser...
23 Feb 2010 at 4:26am
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Six out of every 100 people in North America are stricken each year with seasonal affective disorder, a depression that can have devastating effects on a ...
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The information contained here should NOT be used as a substitute for the advice of an appropriately qualified and licensed physician or other health care provider. The information provided here is for educational and informational purposes only and in no way should be considered as an offering of medical advice.
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