Seasonal blues can follow exodus of summer days

As school buses reappear and the summer throngs (and thongs) disappear, we have much to celebrate with the return of our small town and its accompanying lifestyle.

With those changes, however, we also find that mornings come later and nights sooner. A month ago, it was light until 9 p.m. and light again by 5 a.m. Our days were full of light and seemingly endless, balmy possibilities.

Some of us see these changes and look with near dread at the impending winter with its long, dark nights. We feel rushed, like the wildlife around us, to move frenetically through the remaining days of warmth and light doing everything we won't do for many months like swimming, picnics, walks by the lake, boating, biking, outdoor entertaining and wearing sandals.

Our feelings are much like grief at the waning of our long summer days. We feel loss as we see the changes in the length and brightness of our outdoor options. What a great many of us are feeling is called Seasonal Affective Disorder.

That lethargic, anxious feeling of malaise as days shorten and darken isn't yours alone; enough people to warrant an actual diagnosis, extensive research and suggested treatment share it. It's real folks. If the winter blues that plague you year after year have predictable patterns as the seasons change to fall and winter, it might be SAD.

Here is a quick test to see if you might have some form of SAD:

1. Do you typically have less energy?

2. Do you sleep more, but awaken still feeling tired?

3. Does your mood change (i.e. more anxious, irritable, sad, or depressed?

4. Do you feel less productive or creative?

5. Does your weight or appetite change? (My personal addition here: Do carbs become your new life passion?)

6. Do you experience memory, motivation, or concentration difficulties?

7. Does your pattern of going out or socializing change?

8. Is it more difficult to deal with daily stress?

9. Is it difficult to feel enthusiastic about the future or is it more difficult to enjoy your life?

While the term SAD was just assigned in the late 1980s, the phenomenon was observed as early as the days of Hippocrates, Aristotle and many others, including this quote from Aretaenus, who advised in the second century that "lethargics are to be laid in the light and exposed to the rays of the sun (for the disease is gloom). They had figured out even then that it is light or more precisely, the lack of light during the shorter days of fall and winter that cause the many symptoms of SAD.

While it is a form of depression, it is cyclic one that is experienced as the amount of daylight and temperatures drop. SAD is believed to be related to changes in blood levels of the light sensitive hormone melatonin; body temperature; and sleep patterns. We at higher latitudes are more likely to experience SAD, as are the younger population and females who comprise 60-90 percent of persons with SAD.

There are of course, many degrees of the disorder ranging from the blues, sleep disruption and weight gain to bouts of depression requiring medical treatment. The good thing is that the whole thing will probably disappear with the winter snows and that there are a number of relatively simple ways to combat some of the symptoms.

Most experts find that adding bright light, particularly in the morning, can lessen the symptoms of SAD. Just spending an hour or so near a southern window can do the trick for many. For most, actually getting out into the sunshine, no matter how limited, for some form of exercise daily is a great way to beat mild SAD. Limiting the carbohydrates, that your body seems to crave as part of the whole prepare-for-hibernation thing, can help. There are also a host of bright lighting fixtures or boxes that are believed to help.

If you feel that you could use more information on SAD, Bonner General Hospital's Department of Social Services Mental Health Program will host a panel of informed presenters on the subject Tuesday, Oct. 18 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Brown House conference room, located just north of the hospital. There is no cost.

There are plenty of arrows in our quiver against SAD rather than letting it spoil the time of year when the beauty of our area is ours again and the possibilities for its enjoyment — limitless. Join us at BGH on Oct. 18 and hear the best ways to overcome seasonal affective disorder.

In the meantime, turn on lights earlier. Leave them on longer. Skip the donut and take a 20-minute walk. I promise you'll feel better and I'll see you out there.