How to survive the SAD winter blues: work rest and play

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How to survive the SAD winter blues: work rest and play (Seasonal Affective

Disorder)

Source: Computer Weekly magazine, by Nathalie Towner

The clocks have gone back, the days are shorter and most of us are stuck in

offices during the brief periods when the sun deigns to make an appearance.

The end of long summer evenings and the onset of winter is a low point that

most of us learn to live with, but for a few it signifies the beginning of a

seriously disabling illness. If you have noticed that you or any of your fellow

ITers annually show signs of depression from September to April then you

could be one of the estimated 500,000 people who suffer from Seasonal

Affective Disorder (SAD).

Esme Gutts works for the support group, the SAD Association, and suffers

from the condition.

" I feel as if I'm going downhill every autumn and winter, " she says, " I really

do

feel deprived of daylight and this makes me feel very tired and I find it

difficult

to concentrate. My sleep patterns are all over the place. I wake up really early

and then when I should be getting up I just want to curl up and go back to

sleep. "

Typical symptoms include sleep problems, lethargy, over eating, depression,

anxiety and mood changes.

The exact cause of SAD is unknown but low levels of the brain chemicals

melatonin and serotonin are thought to be partly responsible. Light entering

the eye stimulates neurotransmitters in the brain which control body functions

like sleep, appetite and mood. Inadequate light levels cause this activity to

slow, resulting in depression.

There is increasing awareness of the condition. Sufferers are affected

differently and for some it is a lot milder, with the dominant symptoms being

tiredness, lethargy and lack of concentration. This is far more common and is

medically known as subsyndromal SAD or, more usually, as winter blues.

According to professor from the University of Southampton,

an expert on SAD, 5.6% of people attending GP's surgeries suffer from SAD

and another 10% fall victim to sub-syndromal SAD.

Unfortunately employers have not been very ready to acknowledge either fear

of being penalised and considered lazy.

Pertemps, a recruitment agency, carried out a survey of office workers and

found that 76% of those polled had experienced a variety of these symptoms

but only 5% were aware that they were suffering from SAD.

Thirty-four per cent of respondents had marked symptoms and considered

taking time off but felt unable to do so. They feared that colleagues (31%) and

bosses (27%) would accuse them of shirking.

The most effective form of treatment is light therapy, which works in 85% of

diagnosed cases. For between one and two hours a day sufferers must sit two

to three feet away from a light box, usually on a table, allowing the light to

shine directly through the eyes. The user can carry on working while

stationary in front of the box. These are specially manufactured as ordinary

light bulbs are not strong enough.

Average domestic or office lighting emits an intensity of 200-500 lux but the

minimum dose necessary to treat SAD is 2,500 lux. The intensity of a bright

summer day can be 100,000 lux.

So if anyone is affected recommends buying a box from the

chemist as well as the more standard treatment -- " Get out on sunny days as

much as possible, keep up an exercise programme and watch your diet. "

RELATED ARTICLE: What to do if you are feeling blue

* Invest in a Light box

* Always take a full hour for lunch and go outside

* Eat soups and casseroles containing beans. They provide long lasting

energy and contain tryptophan, an amino acid that is converted into serotonin

in the body. Other foods that contain tryptophan include bananas, meat, fish,

eggs, cheese and yogurt

* Take a winter holiday in the sun