Wellbeing

Self help: natural ways to banish SAD

Give winter blues the heave-ho with our guide to beating seasonal affective disorder

Give winter blues the heave-ho with our guide to beating seasonal affective disorder
Bleak weather and short days have set in, and your summer holiday seems like a lifetime away–it’s easy to get a bit down at the start of winter. But for some people, winter signals the onset of serious depression, known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

It’s thought that around one in 50 people suffer from the affliction, though the figure could be higher. So how do you know if it’s SAD, or just the winter blues?

It’s not known for sure what causes SAD,but we do know that the amount of sunlight you get affects the number of nerve messages sent from the eyes to the brain. This in turn affects serotonin and melatonin levels, which regulate mood. With less sunlight in the winter, especially for those with nine to five desk jobs, it’s easy to see how an inbalance could occur.

So, what can be done, aside from moving to sunnier climes for six months of the year?“Know that your symptoms will pass eventually,and get out and about in the fresh air as much as possible,” says Caroline Carr, hypnotherapist,and founder of lettingthesunshinein.com. “Do what you can to boost your energy, and keep up with activities that you enjoy, even if you don’t feel like it, because there is a tendency to withdraw into yourself when you are depressed,”she explains.

Recent studies have implicated low levels ofvitamin D as a possible cause of depression,and some research suggests it is one of the causes of SAD. You can find vitamin D in oily fish like salmon and sardines, egg yolk and fortified spreads and cereals, and supplementation is also wise.

Light box therapy, which you can do in your own home, has also helped many overcome their winter sadness. “As well as getting outside as much as possible, get al ightbox,” says natural medicine expert Philip Weeks. “Make sure it is at least 2,500lux, and use it every morning.”

Do I have SAD?

If you suffer any of the following specifically in winter-time, you may have SAD:

Lethargy, lacking in energy, unable to carry out a normal routine.
Sleep problems, finding it hard to stay awake during the day, but having disturbed nights.
Loss of libido, and not interested in any physical contact.
Anxiety, inability to cope.
Social problems, irritability, not wanting to see people.
Depression, feelings of gloom and despondency for no apparent reason.
Craving for carbohydrates and sweet foods,leading to weight gain.

Try this!

Let the sunshine in with this DIY healing technique from leading hypnotherapist Caroline Carr…

A few minutes of self-hypnosis can make all the difference to how a person feels and copes. It’s best to learn this with a therapist, but you can make a start by taking the time to imagine or visualise yourself in a wonderful place that is warm and sunny. See yourself looking happy and relaxed. Use all of your senses and give yourself time to really feel it. Find something that really captures the moment and remember it –the sight, the sound, the smell or a word even. Every time you want to feel good, just give yourself a few moments to relax and then as you breathe out bring the moment to mind and let yourself experience the whole thing as intensely as possible again.

Eat to beat SAD

You can help banish the blues with a little nutritional know-how:

“Depression, anxiety and mood disorders such as SAD are thought to be caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters,” says Natalie McAdam, nutritional therapist and founder of Divine Nutrition (divinenutrition.co.uk). “The neurotransmitters associated with mood are adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine, which help to stimulate, motivate and tackle stress. GABA (gamma amino butyricacid) calms and helps improve focus, learning and memory, and serotonin is the mood-boosting hormone which is then converted to melatonin, the hormone that assists in sleep.

“An imbalance of these neurotransmitters can be caused by diet deficiencies,” explains Natalie.“Nutrients that are vital for the synthesis of these neurochemicals include B vitamins, zinc and magnesium. They are co-factors, which help convert dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5HTP) to serotonin. Thus a deficiency in vitamin B6, zinc or magnesium can result in a decrease of a particular neurotransmitter.”

“It is important to have good quality protein with each meal, because the amino acids it contains provide the building blocks and compounds to form healthy neurotransmitters.”

Try this:

These hormone-boosting foods can help give you a brighter outlook. For mood-boosting serotonin:Foods rich in the amino acid L-tryptophan, which is then converted to the happy hormone serotonin, include: turkey, cottage cheese and bananas.

For dopamine, which becomes serotonin: Eat foods rich in tyrosine, needed to convert to dopamine,include nuts and seeds, avocados, bananas, eggs, oats and beans.
For GABA, which calms and improves focus: Fill up on fish, especially mackerel, wheat bran and L-glutamine rich foods, such as beef, fish, eggs and dairy.
For general mood-boosting: Eat whole grains to provide B vitamins. Omega 3 fats found in oily fish such as wild salmon and mackerel provide good quality protein and essential fats needed to support overall mood. Cut down on alcohol; studies show it affects mood because it blocks the transport of tryptophan(needed to make serotonin) into the blood stream.

The impact of stress

High stress levels can also lead to an imbalance of neurotransmitters and exacerbate SAD. Daily stress can greatly reduce your serotonin levels. This is because when we are stressed we release the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which can block the production of serotonin. High levels of stress also deplete our levels of magnesium, which is an essential co-factor for neurotransmitters. Nuts and seeds are wonderful sources of magnesium, known as nature’s tranquiliser, so make a good pre-bedtime snack. Magnesium is also needed for the production of serotonin, the happy hormone which SAD sufferers can lack.

NLP mood boosters

“Just challenging yourself to do something you keep putting off can boost motivation,” says JeanMurton, hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner at the Belmont Centre (belmont-centre.co.uk).”But a good way to help lift your mood is to practise the circle of excellence: close your eyes and visualise a circle, and put into it all the love and support you have from family and friends, and see it fill up with all the warm love.
“Next, visualise yourself stepping into it, and absorbing all the love and happiness. Really feel it going into your body. Now step out of the circle, energised with all the love.”

3 of the best

These mood-boosters will help tackle SAD

DLux1000 Vitamin D Oral Spray, £6.95 – Low levels of the sunshine vitamin have been linked to depression. This convenient spray is immediately absorbed and 100 per cent natural, so you can get your quota during winter.
Cleanmarine Omega 3Krill Oil, £21.99 – Studies have shown omega3 can be helpful in managing depression. Krilloil contains omega 3 fattyacids in the easily-absorbable phospholipid form
LitePod, £115 – Used daily a lightbox will replace the sunlight that you are missing,increase serotonin and give you more energy during the day.