Every fall, right about this time, a very dear friend of mine begins to suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder).She has often asked me what is the best SAD Therapy. She is a classic case in that all the symptoms will disappear round about Springtime and she will become her normal happy self. In winter though, she is affected by SAD and that means she becomes melancholy and depressed and above all does not want to do the normal things she loves doing. She has problems sleeping and her sleeping patterns are extremely irregular.She also loses concentration and motivation to do even pleasurable things plummet ! Add to that a tendency to crave certain carbohydrates and irritability and that about completes the sad story ! (Sorry !)

Every year, I tell my friend to order some Bach flower remedies and she has taken them but in my opinion they do not really solve the problem because as the winter days shorten, we need more light. That light can be provided in many ways - getting out and about and doing exercise in the sunlight or at least in broad daylight ( yes, even if it is raining !) Up to now she has taken :- Sweet Chestnut, Mustard and Wild Rose.

There seems to be a tendancy for more women to be affected by this mood disorder. Twenty years ago, this condition was not even recognised and even to-day there are doctors who shrug the whole thing off ! Not to mention colleagues and line managers.

It is interesting to note that it strikes younger people although the young age group can in this case extend up to 55 ! in my friend's case, that was certainly true as she started suffering from SAD in her early fifties. There is also a pattern in that if you have had a close relative (parent or sibling) then there is more likelihood of being a sufferer.

Mnay doctors prescribe anti-depressants but there are lots of people who will refuse this treatment due to the considerable side effects. These drugs (especially the SSRs) just work to inprove the balance of brain chemicals and thereby lifting mood and lessening anxiety.

Have you ever been kept awake by spending too many hours in front of the computer ? The reason is that the brain is tricked in a way by the light of the computer screen and the production of melatonin which is a hormone produced by the brain which helps us to sleep is prevented from kicking in. Result ? A pretty restless night ! It is the retina in the eye which interact with your neurotransmitters which make this actually happen. Basically we want less light at night for the melatonin to kick in and certainly we do not want melatonin during the day as it will make us sleepy and cross. That is where the short winter days and lack of sunlight play their role. It is sunlight or natural light which increases our production of cortisol - that is the hormone produced during our waking cycle and keeps us bright and raring to go (if everything goes according to plan !).

My friend actually lives in Italy so I dread to think how she would feel if she lived in northern Europe and USA and had to get through the long dark winters there ! No wonder SAD is also called "hibernation reaction !

If you do decide to buy SAD lamp or light therapy lamp make sure that the intensity of the light is between 2500 and 10 000 lux (light units). All you need is 30 minutes or so a day. People often buy them and carry them to work where they can get a burst of sunlight during their working hours. When buying a lamp you should look carefully at the footprint so that it does not take up too much space near your work area.

Here are a few people who found light therapy very helpful :-

"I got a Happy Light about 6 weeks ago, and it has worked very well for me. I've made the mistake a few times of skipping my morning light session and I can always tell by evening - but the next day, after using the lamp, I'm back to normal. I've been dealing with SAD for years and put off buying a lamp, but they are worth every penny"

"I use my Verilux HappyLite Sunshine Simulator everyday while sitting at my desk at work and I can't tell you how much of a difference it makes. Since I don't have any windows in or near my cubicle at work, surrounding myself with the 10,000 Lux of light given off by this product really helps to boost my energy and keep me alert all day long!"

ORDER YOUR SAD LIGHT HERE

Another way of treating SAD is to purchase a bodyclock dawn simulator which you can put by your bedside table. These are great because they help you to get up with less trauma especially if you are NOT a morning person. If you set the alarm on the clock, a very gentle light will start at about half an hour beforehand and then will become normal daylifght when it is actually time to get up. Some models will switch off automatically after about 10 minutes. On going to bed you can turn on the dusk simulator and the light graadually fades until you fall asleep. They use an important principle in that the morning is to lighten up ( in every sense of the word!) while the evening we are trying to produce more melatonin so we are darkening down. Generally it is recomended that we avoid bright lights (TV, PCs) so that we can prepare better for sleep. The dawn dusk simulator is just great for this, I find.