According to Mayo Clinic, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons. Most symptoms start in the fall and continue through the winter, causing you to have less energy and make you feel moody. Symptoms include irritability, tiredness, weight gain, and hypersensitivity to feelings of rejection. SAD is caused by disturbed levels of brain chemicals, similar to depression. One treatment option that can be a cheap way to help with your SAD is a light box. A light box stimulates daylight and tries to compensate for poor exposure to real sunlight. SAD can be helped with an increase in Vitamin D levels as well as just light similar to sunlight.

Because of the reduction sunlight during winter months, your body produces a larger amount of melatonin, which is a natural substance your body creates to help you rest. Bright light therapy can combat the increased amount of melatonin. According to Mental Health America, light therapy has been shown to be effective in 85 percent of diagnosed cases. Even simply spending more time outdoors in the natural light can help to fight off SAD. Symptoms of SAD are compared to the behaviors of hibernating mammals in the winter. Because of the cold weather, we have partial instinct to curl up under blankets and stay in the warm and dark house.

Now that we have come out of the dark, cold, Minnesota winter, and have begun our warm and sunny spring, the effects of SAD will reduce. Although SAD depends on where in the world you are and how bad the winters are, it can happen yearly. If you have had symptoms of SAD in recent years, go outside, enjoy the sunlight, plan on spending time outside every day. El Nino brought us a harsh and cold winter but the sun has become strong again and it’s time to enjoy it.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/basics/definition/con-20021047http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/sad