With the summer seeming to be a long way off and the dark cold winter mornings set in many of us become affected by the season. Winter depression or the winter blues is also known as SAD, seasonal affective disorder; it is something that is thought to affect millions of people and it ranges from mild symptoms to the more severe.
So what are the symptoms of SAD? And what if anything can be done about it to enable you to survive the winter blues? The symptoms vary from person to person with it affecting some more than others; however the symptoms listed below are the most common with just the severity changing.
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Having problems with sleep is the most common, this usually is sleeping more than normal but not feeling refreshed no matter how long you slept. The feeling of not wanting to get out of bed and also needing to take a nap during the day is also common.
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Many people overeat during the winter months with a particular craving for carbohydrates; this of course leads to piling on weight.
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Depression very often sets in with the darker and colder days and nights.
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Despair and misery often affects the person with feelings of being “out of sorts” to feeling sad and tearful for what seems to be the smallest things.
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Social problems and problems with relationships can also creep in, you find yourself snapping at your partner, being annoyed by them and avoiding going out with friends.
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A feeling of lethargy and everything becomes an effort, you find yourself becoming increasingly tired.
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During this period of time you find yourself catching colds and other illnesses more easily; this is due to lowered resistance to infection.
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Behavioral problems can occur particularly in younger people.
The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder will usually start to occur from around September and can last until around April, but symptoms will of course peak during the darkest and coldest months.
It is thought the reason behind SAD is the lack of bright light during the winter months, which although the exact reasons why this happens is unknown, it is thought that bright light does affect the brain chemistry. With the knowledge that bright light or the lack of it does have this effect; the treatment used for those who are severely affected by SAD is to be in bright light for periods of time during the winter months. Vacationing in a brighter climate during the winter or purchasing a light box can achieve this.
Light boxes have been designed to have suitable bright lighting that is of 2500 lux at least, where lux is the measurement for brightness. To put this into perspective a normal living area is around 100 lux, the light however doesn’t have to a special daylight, full spectrum light or color matching light. If you are severely affected by SAD then there are many websites which can give you specific information on how light therapy can help you overcome the winter blues and where to purchase light boxes from.
Tags: surviving the winter blues, winter blues
Most of us don’t realize the true value that sleep can have on our bodies and minds and the majority of us don’t get enough of it. While for some of us this is due to suffering from a sleep disorder such as insomnia, others just stay up too late and have commitments which require us to get up early. Getting enough quality sleep is essential to getting us through our day but also for our overall health.
One of the biggest things that lack of sleep has on our bodies is our hormones; various hormones in our body work together and have an effect on our health. When we suffer from lack of sleep we begin to crave more carbohydrates and sugar, our blood sugar levels will also fluctuate. If we don’t get enough sleep it can cause problems with out adrenal glands, the adrenal glands regulate your body’s health, when our adrenal glands start suffering, and we start to suffer.
One of the main problems being an increase in hormone cortisol, cortisol helps us to resist stress, maintain our blood pressure and our moods are dependant on it. However if there is an increase in cortisol then it can cause adverse reactions within our body and is not good for us.
So what can we do to ensure that we get enough sleep? Here are some tips to help
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Avoid eating before going to bed–if possible do not eat after 7pm, the later you eat the less time your body has to digest food before you go to bed. Instead of resting your body will spend all night digesting the food you ate. Also going to bed on a full stomach will lead to you feeling uncomfortable and tossing and turning all night long.
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Get enough exercise throughout the day–if you aren’t getting enough exercise throughout the day then you aren’t going to be tired. Getting regular exercise not only gets you fitter but also helps you to get a good nights rest.
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Dim your lights–just as the sun streaming through your window first thing in the morning starts your day off by energizing you, dimming your lights at night can encourage your body to slow down and unwind.
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Buy a suitable mattress–if you are having trouble getting comfortable at night in bed then consider buying a new mattress, if your mattress is old and worn this could be the reason you are tossing and turning all night.
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Have a schedule and keep to it–develop a healthy internal clock by getting yourself into a routine. Get up at the same time every morning and go to bed at the same time.
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Avoid taking naps–where possible stay awake and don’t take a nap during the day, taking a nap during the day confuses your internal clock and you are not as tired when it comes to going to bed.
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Keep your bedroom relaxed–avoid turning your bedroom into an office, don’t put a desk or computer in there and be tempted to work. If you have work in there you are more than likely going to thinking of the things you have done or should have done and this can keep you awake.
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A hot drink–try winding down with a hot drink before going to bed, of course give this time to go through your body before lying down for the night, otherwise you will awaken with the need to go to the bathroom. Preferably make cocoa with hot milk but avoid coffee and tea.
Tags: Health, Sleeping your way to health
Burnout is a term that is closely related to stress. Burnout occurs when your body and mind are continually stressed to the point when you begin to develop emotional and physical fatigue. If you have been continually subjected to high levels of stress over an extended period of time it can bring feelings that eventually have an effect on every aspect of your life, you are then said to have “burnout”.
While burnout is related to severe stress, it is different from just being excessively stressed. Many people live for years with long-term stress without “burning out”. While signs and symptoms of burnout can be very similar to those felt when stressed, when you “burnout”, you have the symptoms of stress but along with this also feelings of emotional exhaustion and negativity.
The signs that you may be heading for “burnout” include the following symptoms, lower down the scale indicates symptoms you may feel the closer to “burnout” you become.
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You begin to have problems with your digestive system
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Your blood pressure starts to rise
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You begin to suffer severe headaches
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You start grinding your teeth consistently
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You begin to feel extremely fatigued
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You may suffer from heart problems or even heart attack
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You may suffer from stroke
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You begin to feel increasingly hopeless and powerless
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You begin to feel dissociation
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Satisfaction from work and life in general deteriorates
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Feelings of deep resentment build up
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You feel in a rut and there is no way out
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You become withdrawn and totally isolated
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You feel incompetent and a total failure
The end result of these symptoms show one as suffering from “burnout” due to continual and unrelenting long periods of stress, they are nothing more than the result of an extremely tired body and mind. At the time of actual “burnout” you will be experiencing problems not only at work but also with relationships and almost every aspect of what you used to know as “normal” life.
In order to prevent burnout it is important that you recognize the symptoms and try to eliminate as much stress as possible from your life. Stress management is essential to prevent burnout and using stress management techniques can prevent many of the symptoms. To reduce burnout or prevent it you can take the following precautions by making changes to your physical, mental and social well-being.
Tags: burnout, suffering from burnout
