Posts Tagged ‘Summer SAD’
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
Tags: Bipolar Disorder, Children, Depression, Light box, Light Therapy, SAD, SAD light, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD, Support, Teens
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Thursday, June 17th, 2010
Vitamins B12
Vitamins B6 and B12 affect and help regulate your mood, and might help alleviate SAD. A Finnish study reports vitamin B12 helps reduce depression.
Vitamins B6 and B12
Vitamins B6 and B12 promote healthy blood cells, and help regulate the nervous system. They affect mood and brain functioning.
The B Vitamins and SAD
Vitamins B6 and B12 promote dopamine production, one of the body’s neurotransmitters responsible for pleasure. If a person does not have adequate amounts of these vitamins, he might experience lethargy, a lack of concentration, anxiety and other symptoms similar to SAD.
Food Sources of Vitamins B6 and B12
Food sources include fish, meat, chicken, cheese, milk, eggs and fortified cereals. Vegetarians should consider a supplement.
Daily Requirements
Eat 1.3 to 1.7 mg of vitamin B6 per day. Eat 2.4 mcg of vitamin B12 per day.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/32354-b-vitamin-seasonal-affective/#ixzz0r8XdhwsA
Tags: Depression, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD, Vitamin B
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Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
Here are a few support group links!
The Seasonal Affective Disorder Association:
http://www.sada.org.uk/
Daily Strength – Seasonal Affective Disorder Support Group:
http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Seasonal-Affective-Disorder/support-group
Mental Health America:
http://www.nmha.org/go/sad
Facebook group for Seasonal Affective Disorder:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seasonal-affective-disorder/106176212746152
Tags: Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Facebook, Light box, Light Therapy, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD, Support
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Other people can be a great source of support and comfort to those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder.
The top 5 things to do:
1. Understand the problem – You need to recognize that SAD is a real problem and affliction. Someone who suffers from SAD may look okay but can be having major difficulties in functioning. Your relative or friend with SAD needs more light and can benefit from your support and understanding. Once you understand the mood and energy problems of SAD, you will be able to handle them better.
2. Just be there – Just your presence and company can do a SAD sufferer good. Even though they may seem withdrawn and unfriendly, they appreciate the company. Many like the people being around, but you need to remember that you will probably not get a lot out of them.
3. Encourage the seasonal person – Remind them that this phase will pass, and they will feel better again. Remind them of some good times you have had, they may simply have forgotten. Because you understand that it is a seasonal problem, it can help just to remind them that it will pass.
4. Help with simple things – Just getting out of bed can be huge step. But asking them what you can do to help is greatly appreciated. It can be getting the kids ready and off to school, making breakfast or lunch or even dinner, getting groceries, household chores, doing the laundry or even paying the bills. Some things are simple and will take a couple of minutes, but it can make a huge difference.
5. Try to understand the seasonal person when they are in the other phase – It may come as a shock when the sufferer all of a sudden is happy and successful. But you need to understand that you need to be supportive either way. Sufferers can become a bit wired from the sudden abundance of sunlight. Many can show poor judgment or impulsiveness. If you see this happening you may want to speak with your doctor.
Tags: Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Light box, Light Therapy, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD, Support
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Friday, June 4th, 2010
What is LUX anyway?
lux Pronunciation: (luks), —n.,
—pl. luces Pronunciation: (lOO’sEz).
A unit of illumination, equivalent to 0.0929 foot-candle and equal to the illumination produced by luminous flux of one lumen falling perpendicularly on a surface one meter square. Symbol: LX. Also called meter-candle.
Basically, it’s a unit of light measurement. Higher the number, brighter the light source.
What is the importance of the 10,000 lux and distance rating?
The 10,000 lux measurement is important in light therapy to judge the effectiveness of any particular light box or lamp. Since the 1970’s, studies have shown that light therapy is effective when a person is within a 10,000 lux brightness range of light for twenty to thirty minutes. Our light box has a 10,000 lux range at 24 inches. This is important to consider when shopping around. Many lamps boast of 10,000 lux light, but fail to mention at what distance this is from the light unit. For example, a light that has a 10,000 lux range of twelve inches means that either you would need to sit within a foot from the light for ½ hour, or at a more comfortable two feet you would need to spend one hour to get the same therapeutic effect. You will need to consider what works best for your lifestyle when making your decision.
Light therapy boxes built with some UL-listed parts are not the same as those in which the whole light box has been UL-tested and listed. If a company says it uses UL approved parts, this means the whole light box was not tested. For safety sake, verify this before you buy. It’s also against the law to sell electrical appliances that are not UL-listed.
At Alaska Northern Lights, we base our light therapy and light box information on a variety of accepted scientific studies and not on the opinions of a few individuals. Research has shown that in light therapy, the light’s intensity is the key, not UV rays. UV rays are considered a liability and a health problem with the eyes and skin. Our light box produces no UV-A or UV-C rays and no measurable amount of UV-B. We block any remaining UV rays with our UV diffuser screen.
Tags: Light box, Light Therapy, LUX, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD
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Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
Bright light therapy consists of sitting close to the light box with eyes open so the light shines on the user’s face. Looking directly at the light is not necessary. One is free to read, write or eat a meal while staying oriented towards the light.
Sitting within the 10,000 lux range, or 24 inches for a 30-minute session soon after awakening is enough time, and equals sitting in the 2,500 lux range or at about 40 inches for a two hour session. Intensity levels are changed by moving towards or away from the light. Treatment can last between 15 minutes to three hours. Once adjusted to light therapy, one gets a fairly good intuitive feel for adjusting the session length to get the desired results.
A positive response usually begins two to four days after beginning light therapy, and it could take up to several weeks to get the full beneficial effect. If patients do not respond to treatment, they may need a longer duration of morning light, or a trial of evening light. Some people can skip treatments for one to three days, occasionally longer, without ill effects, but most have symptoms returning quickly when treatment is interrupted.
Tags: Light box, Light Therapy, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Summer SAD
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Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
How old you are has a lot to do with how much you sleep but also when you get that sleep. Babies sleep most of the time, little kids often wake up early, teenagers sleep past noon, and older people seem to sleep less.
The elderly are affected by depression due to changes in their lives, such as death of a loved one or isolation. Seasonal affective disorder is one type of depression that can affect the elderly, especially those who are housebound. While the most common form of seasonal affective disorder occurs during the fall and winter months, rare forms can happen during the spring and summer months.
Seasonal affective disorder is thought to be caused by a lack of ambient light, changes in body temperature or issues with hormone regulation. Elderly patients, who do not go outside often, especially during the fall and winter months, are susceptible. Also, seasonal affective disorder can develop into major depression.
Seasonal affective disorder is most often seen in the elderly during the fall and winter months. Symptoms include social withdrawal, decreased energy and concentration, lethargic movement, carbohydrate cravings, increased sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, decreased interest in activities and increased appetite with weight gain.
If you find as you get older that your sleep pattern changes, you shouldn’t automatically assume that there’s a problem. As long as you’re otherwise healthy and you’re getting adequate sleep, it could just be your circadian rhythm changing because of age. But talk to your doctor for additional help and advice, or if your side effects don’t go away or get worse.
Tags: Depression, Elderly, Light box, Light Therapy, SAD, SAD light, SAD lights, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Summer SAD, Teens
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Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
With the start of summer coming up, most people are starting to put away their light boxes for the season, while others are starting to take theirs out. It may seem odd, but there is a much less common type of SAD, known as summer-onset depression. It generally begins in the late spring or early summer and goes away with winter. But it is thought to affect less than 1% of the U.S. population.
Research has showed that suffers tend to experience different symptoms than their cold weather SAD equivalents. Summer-onset seasonal affective disorder symptoms include: Depression, anxiety, trouble sleeping (insomnia), irritability, agitation, weight loss, poor appetite, increased sex drive and suicidal thoughts and feelings.
Unlike winter-onset depression where you see sufferers with an increased appetite and increased sleep, you see a decreased appetite and insomnia. Most sufferers attribute their symptoms to summer heat. There is very little evidence on how to best treat summer SAD, but some sufferers report relief by staying indoors and keeping cool. It has been shown to respond to antidepressant medications. But talk to your doctor for additional help and advice, or if your side effects don’t go away or get worse.
Tags: Depression, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Severe Depression, Summer SAD
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