Are you Suffering from this winter condition - for some it can be devastating.

How you can conquer SAD (Winter Depression)

 

 

With winter comes long, frosty nights and cold days.  Many Canadians don't enjoy the change in season and about fifteen percent of us find our moods are affected by the lack of sunshine and the dreariness of the weather.  Furthermore some 3% of us suffer from seasonal affective disorder and three-quarters of those are women.

Cause
SAD is thought to be caused by lower levels of Serotonin, our "feel good" hormone, which is caused by lower levels of  day light, shorter days and longer nights.  This in turn creates an increase in melatonin the hormone that decreases energy.

Symptoms
- Loss of interest
- Trouble concentrating
- Extreme fatigue
- Too much sleep
- Weight gain

If you're one of those people who struggles with this form of depression here are some tips that should help you get through the winter months.

Treatment

-  Sunshine - The first and most important tip is to get enough sunshine.  Get out as often as you can on those sunny days and soak it up.  If you can't get out then I recommend using safe tanning beds - those that use Electronic ballasts and avoid all beds that use Magnetic ballasts as these emit EMF's. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/09/25/tanning-bed-causes-melanoma.aspx 

-  Vitamin D - If you aren't able to get enough sunshine then you need to optimize your Vitamin D levels.  Research clearly shows that Vitamin D is absolutely critical for good health and disease prevention. http://www.naturalnews.com/029967_vitamin_D_genes.html

-  Diet - Eating a healthy diet which includes lean protein sources, complex carbs such as vegetables, beans and legumes, and healthy fats such as Omega 3's found in cold water fish and oils, flax seed oil, extra virgin olive oil, nuts etc. These foods will help control blood sugar levels and moods. 

-  Exercise - Exercise can help relieve stress and reduce feelings of fatigue and can improve mood as exercise produces feel good endorphins in the brain.  http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression

-  Sugar - Avoid any form of sugar.  Sugar has a very damaging effect not only on brain function but on your immune system as well. http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/07/13/why-sugar-is-dangerous-to-depression/  


If you suffer from this condition and feel you need help managing it contact me at www.nuhealings.com