In winter, the temperature is low and rainy, do you feel particularly depressed? Be careful that “seasonal affective disorder” may come to your door! Symptoms such as depression, fatigue, weakness, and weight gain are prone to occur. Physicians from home medicine reminded that 4 tricks are recommended for daily life in winter, which can help reduce the emotional fluctuations caused by the winter season.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Chen Caifan, Physician of Family Medicine Department of Lian An Clinic of Lian An Preventive Medicine Institute, said that most of the discussions on the etiology of seasonal changes and mood swings focus on autumn and winter seasons, the decline in sunlight exposure and the impact of human physiological circadian rhythms. It may also contain important neurotransmitters in the human body, such as melatonin, serotonin, etc. For example, a study from Denmark in 2016 found that in patients with seasonal affective disorder, the protein that transports serotonin in the body will not be the same in winter. Healthy people generally decline, which may affect the concentration of serotonin in the body. In addition, related studies in Taiwan in recent years have also observed that the suicide rate and the hospitalization rate of mental and physical diseases in Taiwan are also related to the trend of seasonal changes.
Does Seasonal Affective Disorder Need Treatment?
Therefore, if in the past disease history, mood swings often occur in autumn and winter, which affects daily work, social interaction, diet, and sleep, you should go to the physical and mental clinic for consultation and assistance. Different from general depression treatment, the first choice for the treatment of “seasonal affective disorder” is light therapy.
For healthy people, whether autumn and winter can cause mood swings to the extent of illness is still unclear. Seasonal changes do not affect everyone’s mood swings. In a 2020 survey of 5,000 people from the Netherlands, it was found that seasonal changes have a more significant impact on the neurotic, or emotionally unstable, personality traits.
The decrease in sunlight in winter not only affects the physiological circadian rhythm of the human body, but also often changes our outdoor activities, dietary choices, and social interaction patterns. These changes may multiplely affect our circadian rhythm and emotional state.
The decrease in sunlight in winter not only affects the physiological circadian rhythm of the human body, but also often changes our outdoor activities, dietary choices, and social interaction patterns. These changes may multiplely affect our circadian rhythm and emotional state. In addition, the lack of sunlight does not only occur in the autumn and winter seasons, the work type that requires night shifts, or the working environment is located in an indoor space without sunlight for a long time, and the lack of sunlight in the living mode is likely to affect the circadian rhythm of day and night .
4 ways to prevent mood swings
Therefore, in daily life in winter, the following 4 ways are suggested to reduce the mood swings in winter:
1. Increase sunshine:
Engage in more outdoor activities, increase the chances of sun exposure and also increase the chances of exercise, which will help the function of the neuroendocrine system. Even if you don’t go out at home, you can open the curtains to let more sunlight into the room.
2. Regular social behavior:
I recommend socializing with others at the right time in your life. Socializing is not limited to having dinner with friends or participating in large gatherings. Having dinner with family members, talking on the phone with friends, and even the company of pets are all social activities that are beneficial to physical and mental health.
3. Eat well:
A balanced diet is the basis for maintaining the neuroendocrine system. In addition to eating fresh food, it is also important to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and adequate protein. When people are busier and more stressed, they tend to ignore diet, or choose fried and heavy-tasting foods more often as outlets for stress, unbalanced nutritional intake and excessive intake of highly processed, inflammatory foods, and emotions. On the contrary, it is easy to become more unstable, causing a vicious circle.
Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with seasonal affective disorder. Vitamin D has the function of assisting the neuroendocrine system. ,
4. Vitamin D supplementation:
Studies have found that patients with seasonal affective disorder often suffer from vitamin D deficiency, and the source of vitamin D in the human body is mainly from the skin exposed to ultraviolet rays in the sun. Vitamin D has the function of assisting the neuroendocrine system. The lack of vitamin D in the body can be assessed through blood draws, and a supplement plan can be formulated.
In addition, the balance of important neurotransmitters such as serotonin, adrenaline, and dopamine can also be evaluated through the detection of functional medicine “Neurotransduction and Metabolism Assessment”.
Finally, Physician Chen Caifan once once more urged that if you or your relatives and friends around you are often emotionally affected by the seasons and unable to maintain your daily life and work, you should immediately seek professional medical help, and don’t let the seasons affect your emotional health.
Article link https://www.top1health.com/Article/248/90803