Are You Feeling the (Winter) Blues?
Monday, January 9, 2012 at 3:24PM Do winter’s shorter days and longer nights bring you down? How about winter’s cloudy, overcast days? If you feel depressed and sluggish only during the winter months (and not the rest of the year), you may be experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Symptoms of SAD include sadness, anxiety, mood swings, craving carbohydrates, fatigue or exhaustion, sleeping a lot, craving carbohydrates, brain fog, and weight gain. These symptoms greatly improve once the days get longer in the spring and summer months.
Women seem to be more affected by SAD than men. Plus, there is a genetic disposition so it tends to run in the family.
While full sunlight is preferred for SAD, light boxes may be effective for the treatment of the condition. Studies show that sitting in front of a light box for 30 minutes to 2 hours in the morning and/or evening can help.
In addition, acupuncture and herbal medicine can stimulate the body to heal itself and be very beneficial for SAD symptoms such as depression, anxiety, fatigue and craving carbohydrates. Please call The Healing Acupuncture Center today so you can start feeling better.
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