Lack of Light and Depression

Now that we are no longer in daylight savings time, by the time we get home at night, it’s likely already dark outside. At this time of year, I have patients come in saying they are low on energy and sometimes have a hard time waking up or even wanting to get out of bed in the morning. The lack of exposure to sunshine and light is the culprit. Some people do suffer from depression and may need to the help of antidepressants, but in many cases this time of year you can improve your move without drugs.The number one natural antidepressant that we know of is exercise. If you are feeling anxious, sad, depressed please do yourself a favor and exercise. A study out of Harvard University found exercise to be just as effective and with longer lasting effects than Zoloft.One of the most underrated natural antidepressants is sunlight. If you live in a climate that sees short hours of sunlight and lots of cloudy days and you notice yourself starting to feel extra sad this time of year, I recommend a sunlight for your desk. One option is the SunTouch Plus Desk Light. When the days grow shorter, you can sit in front of it for 20 minutes a day.Let’s talk about a food that aggravates depression. Sugar. If you are prone to depression, stay away from it. First, it causes peaks and valleys in your glucose metabolism and the highs and lows will bring you up really quick and slam you down even faster. Also, it takes Vitamin B to process sugar, when you use up your Vitamin B processing sugar, you don’t have as much to regulate your moods.Another tip is to take a good Vitamin D tablet, many people are deficient in this very important vitamin, especially this time of the year.If you follow these tips, odds are you will feel much better. On top of that, if you are prone to depression find a psychologist or licensed mental health therapist you trust. The bottom line is that if you are depressed, get help. Changes in exercise, diet and activities can make a huge difference as well as identifying and dealing with your problems with the help of a psychologist.