It’s tempting to curl up in bed and ignore that alarm clock. It seems too brutal to get up at 6 in the morning on a dark, cold winter day. Surely the boss will understand.
And you know that you should try to shed some of that weight you gained during the holidays, but chocolate is calling you. So is ice cream. So is candy. Though when your friends try to lure you to a dessert party, your only thought is that it would take a lot of effort to haul off the sofa and get dressed up.
Sound familiar? Dr. Jean Milofsky, a psychiatrist with Kaiser Permanente, has suggestions.
You may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder, says Milofsky, who practices at the Highline clinic.
“In short, it’s like you’re hibernating,” she says.
We asked the doctor for advice on recognizing and treating the symptoms of SAD.
Q: Some studies show that nearly 10 percent of people suffer from the disorder in some states. What causes it?
A: Sunlight synchronizes circadian rhythms (a roughly 24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological, or behavioral processes of living entities). For some people, they are disrupted when the days shorten and there is a relative lack of sun.
Q: So how can someone tell if it’s just the after-holiday blues, or SAD?
A: First, if it’s seasonal affective disorder, it will go into remission in the spring and summer. The typical pattern is that it coincides with short days and less light.
Q: What are some of the signs?
A: There’s a pretty simple checklist. People suffering from seasonal affective disorder eat more, sleep less, socialize less and feel depressed. If it’s simply the post-holiday blues, it won’t last for that long. It’s a good idea to wait for two solid weeks to see if it continues. It’s like the difference between the baby blues after a woman gives birth and true postpartum depression. If someone comes to me with these kinds of symptoms, and they’ve only had them for a week, I suggest we just keep an eye out to see if they continue.
Q: How do you help someone who truly suffers from SAD?
A: The same way we treat other forms of depression. The serotonin variety of drugs, like Prozac, can work well. We also make sure that they’re not bipolar, suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or have more than one problem. With SAD, light therapy works very well. You can buy the lights online, though insurance generally doesn’t generally cover them because the lights don’t have to be prescribed. But there are places that let you rent them to see if they work.
Q: Do you see age groups or pockets of people in the country who tend to suffer more from this?
A: People in places that don’t get much sun, obviously. But women tend to suffer more than men, as do older people. It doesn’t tend to be a problem for children.
Q: How about those tanning places? Fake sun, right? Will those do the trick?
A: They’re really not good for you, for one thing. And they select only ultraviolet light. Light therapy offers full-spectrum light. A half an hour in the morning seems to work well. Or, hey, in this state, we have so many sunny days, try to get outside. Spend a little time in the mountains and let that light reflecting off the snow hit you. You’ll feel better in no time.
