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POLITIKOFF

What is 'winter depression' and what causes it?

Politiko 2024-11-15 15:19:44

What is 'winter depression' and what causes it?

Symptoms of "winter depression" appear in autumn and disappear in spring or summer. The clock change, when the day gets shorter and shorter, is also a common trigger for SAD.

What does this mean practically? This means that when the day ends quickly, the amount of light exposure that most people get in a 24-hour cycle also decreases. And, as we all know, the slightest exposure to daylight has a significant psychological impact.

What causes "winter depression"?

Scientists say how specialized cells in our eyes convert the blue part of the light spectrum into nerve signals that affect mood and alertness. Sunlight, which contains blue light, activates the alertness centers of the brain (when the cells absorb it) and this makes us feel more alert and perhaps even happier.

To establish the relationship between sunlight and SAD, a number of researchers have continued with specialized studies. One of them, researcher Kathryn Roechlein, at the University of Pittsburgh, tested people with and without SAD to see how their eyes reacted to blue light. He concluded that people with SAD were less sensitive to blue light than others, especially during the winter months, suggesting a cause for winter depression.

According to Dr. Paul Deschamps, many people experiencing SAD turn to phototherapy. “The first thing to try is light,” he points out, and continues: “When we expose patients to bright light for half an hour or more every morning, most of them show dramatic improvement. We don't even need medicine."

The treatment involves devices that emit light about 20 times brighter than normal light found in an indoor space. 30 minutes of exposure to such light each morning may be beneficial for the general population, not just those with SAD.

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