Does anyone here have seasonal depression? I think it's called Seasonal Affective Disorder, or something like that. I'm wondering if it can be set off by long periods of cloud/rain. From what I've read seasonal depression is all about the amount of light you get, and I definitely have at least a minor case of it, and have been feeling pretty out of it lately, wondering if it has to do with the week and a half of rain we've had.
Seasonal Depression
- Thread starter AndrewWiggin
- Start date
I've been bummed because it's raining and I can't get out on my bike. 
I have been suffering from seasonal impression. I repeatedly do an impression of Ed Sullivan from September until November. It's not pretty. 
Seems possible. A former co-worker of mine had SAD, and she had a special lamp in her office that was supposed to mimic the effect of sunlight. (It wasn't an old-fashioned sunlamp; I imagine they did something to eliminate the harmful UV rays so it could be used for extended periods.)
It's actually vitamin D related with a sunlight causality (since sunlight causes your body to make vit D. Vit D, in turn, among other things, is involved in mood regulation).
Sunlight therapy or vitamin D supplementation is the cure. Many docs are recommending up to 5000 IU of vit D/ day for men and find the USRDA for vit D too low due to lack of sunlight exposure (overuse of sunscreen) in the US these days.
Getting more than 5000 will not be harmful, btw.
(please note that I'm not a medical professional but, I am passing on what I have read and believe to be correct)
Sunlight therapy or vitamin D supplementation is the cure. Many docs are recommending up to 5000 IU of vit D/ day for men and find the USRDA for vit D too low due to lack of sunlight exposure (overuse of sunscreen) in the US these days.
Getting more than 5000 will not be harmful, btw.
(please note that I'm not a medical professional but, I am passing on what I have read and believe to be correct)
SAD happens. What I learned that works for me to combat is making a point of spending time outside even during winter. There's lots of things to get interested in that can get you out. For me, it turned out to be hunting. While others are cooped up inside, I'm out there chasing something.
I suffer from absent-seasonal depression. I live in AZ and as far as I am concerned THERE ARE NO SEASONS!!!!!!! It's a world of perpetual Summer only actual Summer here is like living in a pizza oven, the rest of the year is regular Summer.... AND I NEED RAIN!!!. I'm moving to the Pacific Northwest the minute the economy allows. Suffice it to say, if rainy weather provides you with a slip-and-slide that dooms you to a gloomy world of doldrums and sadness, move to Arizona... Your "Seasonal" depression will disappear.
I have been suffering from seasonal impression. I repeatedly do an impression of Ed Sullivan from September until November. It's not pretty.
Those are some really big shoes to fill.
As my dad would say.............
walk it off.
(Or get some really bright lights.)
walk it off.
(Or get some really bright lights.)
As my dad would say.............
walk it off.
I think I knew him!
Those natural sunlamps work I have one and have it on in the morning during breakfast. Yes it makes me more energetic during the day. I would suggest this to anyone the gets "the funk". (depressed)
Get a light and take vitamin D. It does work. Start with light therapy now before the days get really short. I force myself to get up at 5:30 and turn the light on right away while I do some stretches and check my email. If I don't do this I start gradually sleeping more and more and getting depressed and lethargic.
Seeing as we have 363.5 days of clouds and rain in the Seattle area, I think most people suffer from SAD. I think they should but an antidepressant in the water to help people.
I used to cover Alaska as part of my territory. In the winter there are not many daylight hours. You can get a special lamp that gives of rays similar to those of the sun. Many of the doctors that I called on said they had patients that used the lamps with pretty good success.
I used to cover Alaska as part of my territory. In the winter there are not many daylight hours. You can get a special lamp that gives of rays similar to those of the sun. Many of the doctors that I called on said they had patients that used the lamps with pretty good success.
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I enjoy the gloomy days of winter - great for listening to a tube amp and catching up on some writing (and reading) that falls through the cracks during the summer - perhaps with a glass of deep black wine on the go.
I would think that plenty of exercise would help and perhaps some time in a tanning booth.
I would think that plenty of exercise would help and perhaps some time in a tanning booth.
Full Spectrum Lighting. It rocks.
Vit. D isn't the only cause. Sunlight doesn't create vitamin D on its own. UVB rays cause oils on your skin to turn into Vit. D, which then must be absorbed through the skin. This doesn't take just a few seconds. (in a society like ours in which we shower almost obsessively, most people don't get enough and should take supplements)
Sunlight (full spectrum light) is important for a variety of reasons. It triggers your pituitary gland to make melatonin, which regulates one's circadian rhythm, which has a bigger impact on more processes of the body than most might imagine. Not to mention other benefits that some might call me crazy for mentioning (which means that I won't mention them).
I copy the disclaimer that I am not a medical doctor. I just do a lot of reading for fun, and my advice may or may not cure and/or kill you.
So it seems. But I love cold and rainy weather and it's difficult for me to think that kind of atmospheric conditions may depress others
Cold & rainy isn't all that bad. Even though it doesn't seem that way, a lot of light gets through even when it's cloudy.
When you're far enough up north to get significantly shorter days it can get ugly fast. For me it usually just ****s up my sleeping rythm, but combined with a regular depression the last year or so it has been bad.
It's hard to get enough time out in the sun when it's still dark when most people go to work/school, and it gets dark before most people leave.
Heck, go far enough north and you can enjoy days without sun at all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_night
When you're far enough up north to get significantly shorter days it can get ugly fast. For me it usually just ****s up my sleeping rythm, but combined with a regular depression the last year or so it has been bad.
It's hard to get enough time out in the sun when it's still dark when most people go to work/school, and it gets dark before most people leave.
Heck, go far enough north and you can enjoy days without sun at all. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_night
I hope you're already well acquainted with the PNW weather first hand. Any place that moss grows on the roof isn't getting alot of sun.
- Chris
Yeah, I think it's grand. I grew up in a little town outside of Portland called Sherwood.
Yeah, rain and weather don't bother me at all; it's the lack of light that really puts me into a funk.
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