Don’t let Seasonal Affective Disorder get you down – there are home remedies!

It is that time of year again when the days are getting shorter and winter blues have a tendency to set in.  These winter blues is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), and the primary cause of this of this disorder is lack of light.  That is why Seasonal Affective Disorder is more prevalent in the northern parts of the country due to the extremely long periods of darkness.  For some,  this type of depression can be incapacitating due to severe depression, feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and social withdrawal to name a few. 

There are approximately 10 million to 25 million Americans that suffer from SAD;  75 percent of whom are women.  As indicated above this condition can incapacitate otherwise healthy people while others may experience mild symptoms such as grumpiness and general irritability.

SAD usually sets in about late October when the days start getting shorter and dissipates in early spring.  The difference between this type of depression and other types of depression is that, as the name implies, it is seasonal. For the most part, SAD symptoms can be remedied with out the use of prescription drugs.  However, if light therapy and home remedies listed below do not alleviate your SAD symptoms, you should visit your doctor to ensure that there are not other health issues causing your depression.

Light Therapy – This should be your first line of defense.  Lighten up your home and workspace with light that closely match natural daylight.  Start at about 20 minutes a day and evaluate your symptoms on a weekly basis, if symptoms do not improve increase your light therapy to 45 minutes a day.  Believe it or not you should feel better in three to four days.  Light boxes specially made for light therapy can be quite expensive.  However, light therapy should be your first choice in combating SAD and so much better than prescription drugs.  You can find light boxes at Amazon.com starting at about $70.00.

Diet and Exercise – we all know exercise reduces stress and anxiety.  Make it a point to get a little exercise each day.  Additionally eat foods high in omega 3 fatty acids, such as mackerel and salmon.  A study found that people with depression often have low levels of omega 3s.

A Natural Remedy such as St. John’s wort has been used to ward off depression if your symptoms are mild to moderate. 

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 Aromatherapy – consider aromatherapy with your light treatment.  Select one of these essential oils and use in a diffuser or mix with some potpourri.  Essential oils such as basil, bergamot, cedarwood, clary sage, frankincense, geranium, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, jasmine, myrrh, neroli, rose, sandalwood, spruce, orange, and ylang ylang.   Get your essential oils at Essential Wholesale, sample oils starting at only 85 cents!  Get this light bulb ring for $3.75!  Just add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil and enhance your home with a wonderful scent.

I do hope these home remedies will help you remedy your SAD symptoms and enjoy the upcoming holidays and life in general this winter.