Sleep Junkie

The less sunlight northern climates receive in the winter months can affect people causing everything from a mild case of the blues to complete depression. We go to work early in the morning when it’s still dark, work under artificial lighting all day, then go home in the dark. Working in an office I never saw the sun for so long I felt like a mushroom.

People with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are very sensitive to the amount of daylight during shorter winter days and it throws their circadian rhythms out of whack, leaving them with the urge to sleep more if not hibernate. People that have or are depressed are more likely to be affected.

The sleep hormone, melatonin, which regulates the body’s circadian rhythms, normally rises at night and decreases with the morning sun. But the decrease in the amount of sunshine causes a higher level of melatonin to remain in your body.

Some of the symptoms of SAD include:

• difficulty concentrating
• fatigue
• exhaustion
• low libido
• sadness
• weight gain
• a craving for carbohydrate foods (bread, pasta, chocolate)
• a feeling of hopelessness
• irritability
• lethargy
• spending more time sleeping

My mother claimed to suffer from SAD but since she was bitchy and irritable all year round it was hard to tell.

Some of the remedies for SAD include:

• using a strong, full-spectrum light box for 30 minutes every morning
• getting outdoors whenever you can, even on your lunch break
• exercise to boost your "feel good" endorphins

To use a full-spectrum light box, sit 18” away and have the light shining in your face but not directly in your eyes every day after you wake up. A light box with 10,000 LUX will require about 30 minutes. A longer time is required for boxes with less power. You should check with your doctor first if you have any eye problems. The bright light from a full-spectrum light box may damage your eyes.

These remedies may also help shift workers and may lessen the affects of jet lag.

You may also want to read about:
     Circadian rhythms
     Shift work
     Jet lag