Mayo Clinic: Light therapy can help with seasonal affective disorder

Added stress of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the cold, dark days of winter on top of holiday stress, can do a number on a person's mental health and could lead to seasonal affective disorder ― a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons. Dr. Craig Sawchuk, a Mayo Clinic psychologist, says one of the most effective treatments for seasonal affective disorder is exposure to artificial light or light therapy. For those looking to flip the switch on feeling down during the winter months, Sawchuk suggests giving light therapy a try. "Light therapy is one of our effective treatments that is actually really easily tolerated," Sawchuk said. "Rarely do people have side effects with it. And it's a pretty portable type of intervention." Light therapy is thought to affect brain chemicals linked to mood and sleep, easing symptoms of seasonal affective disorder. Sawchuk recommends using a 10,000-lux lightbox or lamp within the first hour of waking up for about 20 minutes. "That tends to be about the sweet spot of exposure to that light. You want to make sure that the light is sitting about an arm's length or so in front of you. You don't have to stare directly at the light, but you want to keep your eyes open. So you could be doing things like having breakfast or a cup of coffee, watching TV, or working online," Sawchuk said. He encourages people to continue using light therapy into the spring or whenever their mood starts to naturally improve. Light therapy lamps are readily available online. The Mayo Clinic says the seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression related to changes in seasons. Millions of adults in the U.S. may suffer from seasonal affective disorder, although many may not know they have the condition, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Seasonal affective disorder is diagnosed more often in women than men, and it occurs more frequently in younger adults than in older adults. Seasonal affective disorder is more common among people who live far north or south of the equator, perhaps due to decreased sunlight during the winter and longer days during the summer. Other factors that may increase your risk of seasonal affective disorder include a family history of blood relatives with the disorder or a personal history of major depression or bipolar disorder. For most people with seasonal affective disorder, symptoms appear during late fall or early winter, and they go away during the sunnier days of spring and summer. Less commonly, people with the opposite pattern have symptoms that begin in spring or summer. In either case, symptoms may start out mild and become more severe as the season progresses. Signs and symptoms of the seasonal affective disorder can include: • Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day • Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed • Having problems with sleeping • Having difficulty concentrating • Feeling sluggish or agitated Symptoms specific to fall and winter seasonal affective disorder can include oversleeping; appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates; weight gain; tiredness; or low energy. Symptoms specific to spring and summer seasonal affective disorder can include insomnia, poor appetite, weight loss and agitation or anxiety.