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Scientists Shed Light on the Winter Blues When a case of the winter blues feels more like depression, you may be suffering from SAD. SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD is a seasonal disruption of mood that occurs during the winter months and ceases with the beginning of spring. Symptoms usually begin in September when days begin to shorten, and last through the winter into March when the days begin to lengthen again. The symptoms of SAD usually include episodes of depression, hypersomnia, increased appetite, and weight gain. Light plays a big part in its origin and in its treatment. To better understand winter depression, think of it as four months of jet lag. The human body has hundreds of 24-hour biological rhythms all controlled by one "internal clock." The sleep cycle is one rhythm. Body temperature is another. The brain's production of certain chemicals, like the nighttime hormone melatonin, is another. Melatonin is a hormone produced by a gland in the brain called the pineal gland. High levels of this hormone can adversely affect our mood. Very little melatonin is secreted in daytime light and its peak production is usually at night, between 2 and 3 a.m. Due to their longer nights, winter months cause e
About 4 to 6 percent of the general population actually experience SAD, and another 10 to 20 percent experience a sublevel of the SAD symptoms, usually referred to as "winter doldrums. com/health/Library/illsymp/illness470. " People with the winter doldrums are bothered by the return of SAD-like symptoms each winter, but they remain fully functional. People with other depressive illnesses and people that live in the northern latitudes are also more susceptible to SAD. Side effects of the light therapy has been minimal. "Seasonal Affective Disorder," URL http://www. "SAD Scientists See the Light," URL http://abcnews. htm (visited 1:36 PM, May 11, 1999) Thrive@Health. In winter, however, most of us force ourselves to wake up while it's still dark outside. As Seasonal Affective Disorder became more recognized by scientists, they came up with an idea to treat it.
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