SAD: Winter Blues Busters

Good news! The dark days of winter are receding -- in fact, we've added almost an hour of daylight since Dec. 31. With the lengthening daylight comes a degree of relief for those who suffer from a touch of the winter blues, also known as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). While some battle these symptoms chemically with prescription pills or alcohol, I encourage my patients to chase the blues away with healthier options.

My prescription: try a combination of these side-effect-free ways to help beat the winter blues:

1. Let there be light.
For us light-deprived northern hemispherians, I recommend installing full-spectrum light bulbs at home, to help mimic the benefits of sunshine. Beaming high-quality full-spectrum light indoors is essential when adequate natural sunlight is in short supply. The full-spectrum bulb benefits? Better sleep, improved concentration, mental clarity and mood, plus a tougher immune system -- so let the faux sun shine in! Full spectrum bulbs can be found at most hardware stores and www.gaiam.com.

2. Take a sun bath.
No matter where you live or how deep the snow, it's important to get outside for a dose of natural morning light. A 10 minute walk in the morning light will help reset your body clock and boost mood. No time in the a.m.? Then try a quick lunchtime lap around the block or office park. Another option: bundle up, find a bench in the sun and take a few moments to catch some nourishing rays.

3. Get off the couch.
Exercise increases serotonin levels, which in turn helps banish the blues. Exercise outside and you'll get an even greater boost. Studies have shown that one hour of outdoor exercise had the same benefits as 2.5 hours of light treatment indoors.

4. Restore yourself.
Spend 5-10 minutes twice a day in Reclining Open Chest Pose. This particular Restorative Yoga pose helps to elevate your mood and energize you when you are tired. When we support the back in this way and open the chest, we tend to feel more emotionally buoyant and physically energized.

5. Supplement your happiness.
Eating healthfully, avoiding sugar, sleep-inducing simple carbs and comfort foods will help keep the blues at bay, but in winter, the addition of a few supplements can also help keep spirits high. In addition to the essential supplements I think everybody should take year round, my favorite blues-chasers include:

• Vitamin D: Most people in the northern hemisphere -- even those without the blues -- don't get enough Vitamin D. As there's growing evidence to suggest a link between SAD and low Vitamin D levels, I encourage patients to take at least 2,000 to 5,000 IU/day through the winter to keep brain chemistry and neurotransmitter action at optimal levels.

• Fish oils and other Omega-3s: Fish oils and omega-3s have a role in the synthesis of serotonin, and are thought to elevate mood and decrease depression. My advice to patients? Increase the dose if the blues start to get the upper hand.

• Melatonin: For some, but not all SAD sufferers, especially people 40 years and older, 1-2mg of melatonin at bedtime can be helpful in relieving symptoms. Melatonin levels tend to drop as we age.

• 5-HTP: As it is the precursor in the biosynthesis of mood-boosting serotonin, I often recommend 200-400mg at bedtime.

• Magnesium: Insufficient levels of magnesium can compound SAD symptoms by inhibiting the conversion of tryptophan to 5-HTP, which can decrease the production of mood-stabilizing serotonin and melatonin. To boost magnesium levels in winter, I recommend taking 400-600mg at bedtime. I tend to use Magnesium Glycinate as it does not loosen the stools like the other magnesiums.

6. Sunshine on your desktop.
Patients with tougher cases of winter blues, may benefit from light therapy sessions, which can be done easily at home, office or on the road, with specialized light boxes, lamps and even wearable visors. A range of high-power light therapy devices, starting at about $200 are available at www.sunbox.com and www.biobrite.com. Smaller, inexpensive versions are also available at Target, including the Philips GoLite Blu Energy Light, the Nature Bright Sun Touch Plus Light ($140 each) and the Zadro Sunlight 365 Personal Artificial Sunlight Therapy device (for $45).

7. You are not a bear.
Fight the urge to hibernate. After work, step away from the computer, and make the effort to interact face-to-face with loved ones, weather be dammed. Get tickets to a show, take a class, book nights out with friends, whatever it takes, just keep giving yourself spirit-boosting, offline group activities to keep you engaged with your world.

Dr. Frank Lipman is an internationally recognized expert in the field of integrative medicine. He is the founder and director of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City, where the focus is on sustainable wellness, instead of quick fixes. In 2010 he developed Eleven Eleven Wellness by Dr. Frank Lipman, a line of leading-edge supplements and health programs. Visit his blog, follow him on Twitter or join his Facebook community today.

 

 

 

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Comments

[onwisconsin]

02:21 AM on 01/29/2011

Love my SAD light and my D3 supplements. My doctor tested me for vitamin D deficiency, which I had. I'm now on 10,000 IU per day and I can't believe the difference in my overall level of energy. Since moving to frostier climes over 15 years ago, I have struggled in the wintertime. Not so this winter! It has to be the Vitamin D3.

And I never took supplements before because I thought I got enough from milk, which I drink like crazy. Who knew?

[Madame De Stael]

01:57 AM on 01/28/2011

i have a light box that i use to keep myself from going into hibernation mode when there are days on end without sunshine. it really works. used for an hour in the morning while going through email, drinking coffee, etc. sets you up to regulate your sleep patterns and make you feel perky so you can hop out of bed in the morning.

i thought it was totally bogus at first, but my cats always gathered around it when i used it. now i turn it on for them when i leave the house.

[librainstars]

08:27 PM on 01/27/2011

The days are getting longer. This is coming from someone who sits in lake effect lol
As he said going for a walk. Even sitting in a window.
The vit D we get from the sun helps so much.
I get up watch the sun or snow come in every morning with coffee. No comp. Just teh view out the window
It has done wonders.
Of course moving to where the sun is would help more lol

[luziannagirl]

08:09 AM on 01/27/2011

I
A poet who famously battled his own inner demons once said, "No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn".

I often think of that quote when helping my husband by the light of the moon, paddle our battered Old Town to his favorite duck hunting location far back in the swamp, or when sacrificing an early Saturday morning to drive to a nearby urban lake positively "covered up" with ducks, or sitting bundled up in my deer stand waiting for the sun to peep up over the pines and illuminate the field of amber buffalo grass before me. Or when looking out my backdoor at the candy-striped male Calliope Hummingbird feeding on the few remaining flowers the cold hasn't zapped, the eastern sky pink ahead of a soon-to-be-rising sun. Or, picking a December basket of cold oranges for breakfast, a January bouquet of kitten-faced LSU hued pansies for the table, or a February mess of spinach and kale for the pot. Or building a fire in the fireplace, a backyard bonfire for a gathering of friends, or roasting a pig all night at our country place for a host of nearby relatives (and oh, how the coyotes howl!). Or turning our potted ficus Christmas tree into a Mardi Gras tree, providing a delightful added source of twinkling illumination on long dark winter evenings.

So...whether it's sunlight, moonlight, starlight, or firelight, getting more light into life works for me.

[onwisconsin]

02:27 AM on 01/29/2011

Ah, yes, paddling the canoe waits for us...till spring has sprung and ice has released the warmer waters. But oh, how we long for warmer days! More snow today and tonight, I'm afraid. It is beautiful though, especially because my husband takes the labrador for his late night walks. Our only birds are blackbirds and our lovely cardinals. We will be traveling to the South soon to see my parents, where the kudzu overtakes the trees.

[Kevin P Davis]

01:28 AM on 01/27/2011

I cured my SAD by moving to the South!

[aspiecelia]

06:02 PM on 01/26/2011

I have SAD which mostly manifests in the spring. I also have CFS/ME, PTSD and Aspergers which means I have huge sleep issues(on top of it I live in Alaska where it can be almost all light or dark) . I have put together a program which has greatly prevented the S/S of SAD. It involves a very health diet, graded exercise, getting sun if I can (not easy in Alaska in the winter, so I sit in the window), and sleeping whenever I can (erratic sleep at times). The exercise is actually easy even in Alaska where it is too dangerous to walk in the winter because of ice. Walmart has walkaerobics and exercise DVDs for around $12 each. Those little barbels also are cheap and add a lot to the workout. Because of the CFS I have to do four workouts a day and then have a rest period to keep from causing flare ups, but I can using this method exercise as much as a normal person. This is a technique those out of shape can use as well. I have subtracted food that increases pain such as sugar, fructose, etc. and added olive oil, omegas, etc. which decrease pain. I feel so much better and the only medication I take is an OTC allergy pill.

[PunKinPai]

02:48 PM on 01/26/2011

A big steaming bowl of chili works wonders, too.