With the holiday season quickly approaching, pleasant images of snowmen, sugar plums, and presents come to mind. However, for many people, the holidays mean bleak weather, lethargy, and expanding waistlines. It is quite common for most people to experience a case of the “winter blues,” however, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, 6 percent of Americans suffer from a more serious form of winter depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

“People with SAD meet the diagnostic criteria for a mood disorderbut only during the fall and winter months,” said Eva Lawrence, assistant professor of Psychology. “The main difference between SAD and ‘winter blues’ is that a person suffering from SAD experiences more severe and persistent symptoms.”

Some of the symptoms of SAD are:
 Prolonged feeling of sadness
 Change of appetite
 Weight gain
 Cravings for sugar and carbohydrates
 Fatigue
 Physical weakness
 Irritability
 Loss of interest in things that were once pleasurable

Doctors and researchers attribute the main cause of SAD to the absence of light during the shorter, colder winter months.

“The pineal gland releases melatonin during darker hours, which in turn makes us sleepy,” explained Lawrence.”So in the winter months when we get less sun exposure, the pineal gland releases more melatonin.”

While light therapy, medication, and psychotherapy are the most common treatments for SAD, medical research has shown that exercise and diet adjustments can also be very effective in relieving symptoms.

Duke University conducted a study in 2001 that found exercise to be a more effective treatment for depression than medication, with a higher recovery rate and fewer relapses. Tested patients who walked for 30 minutes three times a week reported feeling less depressed.

Exercise releases endorphins, which has an analgesic effect on the brain that results in a state of euphoria. Doctors encourage SAD patients to exercise outdoors in the winter months to increase their exposure to sunlight.

Dr. Alan Rosenbaum, a Farmington Hill psychiatrist, has found that many SAD patients have low levels of Vitamin D.

“Over 50 percent of people are Vitamin D deficient because they don’t get enough sunlight,” Rosenbaum told the Detroit Free Press.

Rosenbaum advises people who suffer from SAD to integrate more Vitamin D into their diet, either by food or supplement.
Research has also been conducted that links omega 3-fatty acids and the reduction of SAD symptoms.

Dr. Alireza Amirsadri, a Wayne State University School of Medicine psychiatrist who studies SAD told that Detroit Free Press that omega 3-fatty acids are “a mood modulator and reduce anxiety and depression or even manic symptoms.”
Here are some ways that diet and exercise can help remedy symptoms of SAD:
 At least 30 minutes of light exercise three times a week, preferably outdoors. Some on campus examples are: walking in the woods, running around the track, playing tennis, or biking
 Spend at least a total of 45 minutes outside weekly
 Eat daily meals at regular times
 Decrease intake of foods high in carbohydrates and sugar
 Increase intake of Vitamin D rich foods, such as salmon or fortified cereal
 Increase intake of foods rich in omega 3-fatty acids, such as fish, low-fat dairy products, poultry, beans, and dark chocolate

While it is difficult to find motivation to go outside during the frigid winter months, it is important to get outdoors and to remain active but it’s vital in alleviating one’s physical and mental health.