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SAD and How to Deal With It
October 10, 2006
Well, it’s that time of year again when seasonal affective
disorder (SAD) is starting to affect us here in the
Northwest. Even though SAD has been noted as early as the
late 1800’s it wasn’t actually given a name until the
1980’s. That doesn’t mean people haven’t been suffering
from it, however. Seasonal affective disorder is mostly
caused by the lack of light people are exposed to this time
of year. Our brains secrete a hormone called melatonin
which, at increased levels, can cause symptoms of
depression. This hormone is produced when your body is
exposed to dark, so it makes sense that its levels rise in
months when the days are shorter.
The full-blown seasonal affective disorder is thought to
affect as many as 10 million Americans every year. They
suffer the debilitating symptoms of depression through the
fall and winter months which recede to less-drastic or
non-existent symptoms in the spring and summer. Other
people get the winter blues which are milder forms of the
symptoms of depression such as gaining a little weight,
feeling sleepy or having difficulty focusing during the
fall and winter months when the weather gets colder and the
sunlight gets shorter (especially with all of the rain we
get).
There are many different methods of treating SAD such as
light therapy (either using a special artificial light or
arranging to get natural sunlight during the day), herbal
aids, altering nutrition and getting the right amounts of
exercise. Some methods work better for some people than
they do for others, but one method that tends to help
people feel more energized, less sleepy, more able to focus
and concentrate and less likely to overeat and gain those
extra pounds is martial arts.
Martial arts is a special kind of activity that not only
treats, strengthens and improves your physical health, it
also treats your mental health as well. People who
practice martial arts need to be able to concentrate and
focus on their training because martial arts is not an
activity that you can do mindlessly. This concentration
and focus eventually carries over into all other parts of
your life. Furthermore, the physical exercise you get
while training martial arts is energizing and will help
prevent you from gaining those extra “winter pounds” that
many people dread. It’s worth it to give it a try because
you’ll feel better, mentally and physically, and when the
weather gets nice in the spring you’ll be ready to hit the
outdoors with a sense of energy that you finally didn’t
lose over the winter.
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