Are you SAD?

Minnesota is a breeding ground for Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. It’s more common than you think, though different than simply disliking winter. The lack of sunlight can lead to Vitamin D deficiency, which affects the brain’s ability to produce enough chemicals like serotonin that the brain needs to feel good and maintain its circadian rhythm.

A good way to feel better during the winter months is to stay active. Physical activity boosts your body’s production of serotonin and dopamine, the feel good chemicals. Regular walking, winter sports, being out in nature and connecting with others can help.

A SAD lamp can also boost your mood. SAD lamps mimic daylight, but they do not help your body generate significant amounts of vitamin D. Supplementation with D during the winter months is highly recommended.

SAD can pop up in summer months too, although gray and cold are the better known suspects. Even a little respite of warmth from the sun like we’re seeing now can turn things around for those affected by SAD. In Minnesota, people come out of hiding as soon as the mercury hits 45 degrees, armed with t-shirts and shorts to soak up every single ray of sunlight. Hope, joy, feeling good, which just a day ago seemed lost forever, starts to creep back in. .

If you would like to seek an appointment with one of our providers, you may reach our Front Office at 866-522-2472.