dept. of more great news
Friday 9 March 2007 | I like a cookie
March/April Worst Months for Seasonal Affective Disorder
“Everything was going so well. My life felt great, and I was really active, you know, and then everything started crashing and I couldn’t stop it. Even when I started my light again, it took a week to get control. What happened? It’s spring outside. Why should I need to keep using my light?”
With the longer days and spring just around the corner, you wouldn’t think you need light therapy in March or April. But these two months hold the record for SAD symptoms.
Longer days don’t mean less SAD
Perhaps a mistake people make is they think the longer days mean they don’t need to keep using their light. This is a mistake for two reasons: First, as the days get longer, we gain only 1 minute per day of morning light while we gain 2-4 minutes of evening light. So while the days do get longer, we aren’t getting the morning light we need. Second, March/April can be some of the darkest months due to cloudy weather and snow/rain storms.The best advice for stopping light therapy in the spring is to do it gradually. When you start to feel like you don’t need your light anymore, don’t just stop cold turkey. Taper off by 5 minutes each week. Following a gradual schedule will help you keep that energy and avoid the common SAD relapse that happens when people stop too soon.
Daylight Savings Time plays havoc with our body clocks
The biggest problem for SAD sufferers is not darker days of winter, but sudden day length changes. April may have longer days than December, but add in Daylight Savings Time, and you’re in trouble. April is the month with highest hospital admissions and suicide rates, and they coincide perfectly with Daylight Savings Time. Accident rates also jump 8% the week following DST change. If you already have a body clock problem, switching forward or back one hour can really mess up your hormone balance and energy. The best thing to do is keep a consistent light schedule, especially the week before and after DST.Preventing DST Problems
The best way to adapt to the early schedule is to get light therapy a few days before, and at least a week after the time change to shift your body clock to the new time. If you have a light box, follow this schedule on the DST weekend:
- Friday: Wake up 15-20 minutes early and use the light for 1/2 hour. This will speed up your body clock and give you a lift.
- Saturday: Wake up an additional 30 minutes early and use the light for 1/2 to 3/4 hour. If you want to, you can go back to bed after getting the light. Sleeping in after getting the light won’t adversely affect your body clock. Saturday night, remember to set your alarm clock ahead 1 hour.
- Sunday: Wake up at your regular (workday) wake time, and use the light for 1/2 hour. Again, if you want to, you can go back to sleep for a bit.
- Monday-Friday: Your body clock should be on the new schedule, but since it is now darker outside, continue to use it for 15 minutes/day. After a week, you should be able to taper off 5 minutes/day.
(from Apollo Health)
post your glowing encomium (or bitter philippic) »
Follow this heated, lively discussion through its very own feed; also, you can pingback or trackback from your own doubtlessly much more interesting site.
