Daylight was now very short. In the morning when you wake up, it seems that the street another night and get out of bed is simply unrealistic. It does not add to the mood of the cold and greyness on the street. Many complain of emotional recession, depression. Experts call it seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Besides depression is characterized by persistent drowsiness and craving for carbohydrate-rich foods, which is fraught with a set of extra weight. Do not scold yourself for a piece of cake eaten, so the body tries to compensate for the lack of serotonin in the body. Some think that the CAP - it is a mild form of clinical depression, but in reality - it's just another version, experts say.
"People who are really suffering SAD, as well as the sick and those with major depressive disorder. They can occur, and are not related to the change of seasons, episodes, but the season is the most common trigger, "- says a psychiatrist at the University of Copenhagen Brenda McMahon.
In some cases, the symptoms of the disorder Bench strengths that interfere with a person to function normally. For example, in the UK it occurs in 6% of patients, and in countries at higher latitudes - Canada, Denmark and Sweden - the number of people 2-8%. Interesting fact: The CAP does not suffer the inhabitants of Iceland, they have from this condition something like a genetic immunity.
Milder form is subsyndromal SAD - without depression. In general, every third inhabitant of the northern hemisphere to some extent suffer from this disorder. According to one theory, this could be due to evolution. About 80% of people suffering from SAD, young women.
"Ten thousand years ago, during the Ice Age biological tendency to slow down for a while winter useful, especially for women of reproductive age, pregnancy as consuming energy. But now we have a 24-hour society, we are expected to constant activity, and it is a nonsense. However, why a small number of people going through it (CAP) so strongly that it is fully disabling them - we do not know, "- says professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto's Robert Levitan.
In the cold season, when the world becomes smaller, the level of serotonin in the brain is reduced, and in some particularly sensitive individuals more likely to depressive episodes. Serotonin can also be a clue to why women are more likely to suffer from SAD.
"There is a direct relationship between estradiol, a female sex hormone and the serotonin transporter. We have a hunch that the oscillation estradiol levels during certain phases of puberty and postpartum peridium can influence, yak produces serotonin, "- says a psychiatrist at the University of Copenhagen Brenda McMahon.
With regard to assistance for people suffering from SAD, an effective remedy is light. In particular there is a bright light therapy, which stimulates brain neurotransmitters: "It is important to People with SAD start their day early and avoid oversleeping, it can be very depressogenic ", - notes Levitan.
According to him, a simple change of regime is able to alleviate the symptoms of SAD in 80% of cases, especially when a man complains that a lot of sleep and constantly needs carbohydrates. Also, with the approach of cold weather it is very important to review your diet in favor of protein products: poultry, fish, eggs, white cheese, etc... Also, drink plenty of warm warming drink - it can be a tea with ginger and cinnamon tea with milk and spices, cocoa. Only in exceptional situations it makes sense to medication - patients prescribed antidepressants. Most often it is the tryptophan - an amino acid that is converted in the body into serotonin, a doctor said.
And you'll probably be interested to know, why women winter aggressive men.
