Defeating SAD

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Keywords

Resilience – SAD – Light Therapy – Brain Science – Circadian Rhythms – Vagus Nerve – Transcendental Meditation

In this episode of Resilience Unravelled Norman Rosenthal, a psychiatrist and writer discusses his background in psychiatry research and writing. Norman talks about how his career has emerged from various opportunities and interests in science, art, and literature. He explains his involvement in the discovery of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and the role of light therapy in treating it. He also touches on the challenges of conducting reliable research in brain science and the potential benefits of light therapy for other psychiatric conditions. Additionally, he discusses the importance of using proper lightboxes for therapy and mentions jet lag as another condition possibly influenced by circadian rhythms or light exposure.

Main topics

  • The importance of light in regulating circadian rhythms and its effects on mood.

  • How transcendental meditation can help with winter depression

  • The role of the vagus nerve in relaxation

  • The therapeutic power of poetry.

  • The need for multiple approaches to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

  • The benefits of using different techniques such as light therapy, exercise, cognitive interventions, socialisation, and meditation to treat SAD

Timestamps

1: Introduction and Background -: Introduction to the guest. 00:02-02.37
2: The Convergence of Science, Art, and Literature - 02:57-04:47
3: Reproducibility in Research - 07:55- 09:03
4: Seasonal Rhythms and Bright Light Therapy -10:22-11:31
5: Transcendental Meditation (TM) - 15:08 - 18:43
6: Multiple Approaches to Well-being - 19:59-20:54
7: The Power of Poetry - 21:26-24:44
8: Research Challenges and Instincts - 25:21-26:31
9: Audience Interaction and Book Recommendations - 27:22-28:39

Action items

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Does the winter make you feel SAD?

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Despite the fact that millions of us say we've suffered a winter-related low mood, it can seem as though the winter blues is just a myth. But there's sound scientific evidence to support the idea that the season can affect our moods. So, if you go through bouts of the winter blues, lack of daylight may well play a part.

We’re all affected by the change in season to a greater or lesser degree – we generally feel more cheerful and energetic when the sun is shining or find that we eat more or sleep longer in winter. However, if you experience SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), the change in seasons has a much greater effect on your mood and energy levels and can lead to symptoms of depression that have a significant impact on your day-to-day life.

The exact cause of SAD isn't fully understood, but it's thought to be linked to reduced exposure to sunlight during the shorter days of the year. Sunlight can affect some of the brain's chemicals and hormones although it’s not really clear what this effect is. One theory is that light stimulates a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, which controls mood, appetite and sleep. These things can affect how you feel.

In people with SAD, a lack of sunlight and a problem with certain brain chemicals stops the hypothalamus working properly. The lack of light is thought to affect the:

  • production of the hormone melatonin

  • production of the hormone serotonin

  • body's circadian rhythm (its internal clock, which regulates several biological processes during a 24-hour period)

You are more likely to experience SAD if you live in a country where there are significant changes to daylight, temperature and weather between seasons. It’s more common in Scandinavia, Europe, North America, North Asia, and in southern parts of Australia and South America.  It’s also rare to find people with symptoms of SAD living near the equator, where daylight hours are long and bright all year round. In the UK, it is estimated that about one in fifteen people experience some symptoms of SAD.

SAD symptoms generally appear between September and November and are most noticeable during December, January and February. They can continue until March, April or even May the following year when symptoms tend to go away either suddenly (often with a short period of hyperactivity) or gradually, depending on the amount of sunlight in the spring and early summer.

SAD can affect people of any age but most commonly symptoms begin between 18 and 30. For some people, symptoms are fairly mild and last for a shorter period but a small percentage of people are affected very badly and find it hard to carry out day-to-day tasks in winter without continuous treatment.

Some or all of the following are symptoms of SAD

  • lack of energy for everyday tasks

  • concentration problems

  • sleep problems

  • depression

  • apathetic and feeling nothing

  • anxiety

  • panic attacks

  • mood changes

  • overeating

  • being more prone to illness

  • social and relationship problems

As with any type of depression, SAD can be difficult to live with. It is a recognised condition though, so if you do get the winter blues and start to feel down, depressed or unable to cope as well as normal then you should consult your doctor. Diagnosis is generally made after two or more consecutive years of suffering the symptoms but the good news is that there are a number of treatments available and they can be very successful.

Studies have shown that light therapy relieves SAD symptoms for as much as 70% of patients after a few weeks of treatment or your doctor may recommend talking therapies such as CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) or medication such as antidepressants. If you prefer not to take medication, alternative therapies and approaches such as reflexology, massage or hypnotherapy have been found to help.