Do you have SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder or sunny disposition? Well, you may ask what is the connection? There is a connection, very important connection between sun and SAD. That is what we are going to discuss here. Lets understand what is Seasonal Affective disorder first. You obviously know about sunlight, that we’ll discuss later.
What is SAD
In simple terms, it is a disorder, Seasonal Affective Disorder. As the name itself suggests that it is seasonal, which simply means that it changes with season. It is also called winter depression because it is more noticeable in winter than in summer. Starts in early winter and goes away as summer starts or days start to become sunny. From there sunny disposition starts in those suffering from SAD. Well, we’ll come to that point later.
Symptoms of SAD
- Low mood and loss of interest in regular activities
- Things that were enjoyable in the past are no longer so
- Feeling sluggish all day, no energy
- Sleeping longer than normal or just its opposite, no sound sleep at all
- Feeling depressed and guilty
- Life seems worthless with no hope left
- Increased irritability
- Changed appetite pattern
- and more
What causes SAD
There are two hormones, melatonin and serotonin. Melatonin makes you feel sleepy and those suffering from SAD may have higher than normal levels of melatonin.
Serotonin is a hormone that affects your mood, appetite and sleep. Low level of serotonin causes depression or depression like feeling. And low serotonin is caused by lack of exposure to sunlight. Now it makes sense how sunlight has a strong connection with SAD.
Treat SAD, Gain back Your Sunny Disposition
The treatment of SAD is simple but not easy. Yes, it is simple because all you have to do is sit in sunlight everyday for 15 mins to half an hour at least. Make sure that your skin is as much exposed to sun as possible. I am sure you know how exposed is within acceptable limits, right?
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