SAD Lights

Your guide to Seasonal Affective Disorder

What’s the Best Way to Get Motivated When You’ve Got the Winter Blues?

Posted on | August 2, 2009 | No Comments

Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) is often referred to as the Winter Blues and indeed, until the condition was given its own name, this is what most people thought of when they suffered from a lull in energy levels during the winter months.

Although we’re still discovering much about this condition and the fact that it affects so many people, we now know a lot more about the symptoms than in the past. At a basic level, sufferers experience feelings of lethargy and tiredness. They might need to sleep more during the winter and they might crave sugary snacks in order to try and boost their energy levels. However, on a more serious note, SAD can result in more sustained feelings of depression and an inability to function as normal during the darker winter months. People find it difficult to motivate themselves.

There are a number of treatments for this winter blues condition and different things will work for different people, depending on the extent of their suffering. Generally, SAD therapy lamps have proven to be very effective for many people suffering from the condition. Depending on how much space is available, there are different sizes of lamp or light box that can be place on a desk or on the floor and used to create light similar to sunlight. By using these lamps a couple of times of day, sufferers can benefit from an increased feeling of wellness and energy and should be able to carry out their daily tasks in a more upbeat manner.

Another way to combat the winter blues is to eat a healthy diet. People suffering from SAD often resort to high calorie, sugary snacks and this can be counter productive as it often results in weight loss. By sticking to a healthy diet that’s packed full of fresh fruit and vegetables, sufferers can give themselves a natural energy boost by getting plenty of vitamins in their diet.

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