There’s a real reason folks in northern latitudes may feel like hibernating these days.
Short days, lack of sunlight and cold weather are proven to have negative physical and emotional effects on some people.
“Exposure to sunlight is super important because it helps release serotonin in our brain, a neurochemical associated with healthy moods,” Shawna Traugh, LCSW with the Aroostook Mental Health Center said. “Regular sleep, appetite, your memory, learning and energy are all affected by serotonin levels [and] without sunlight those levels can dip too low and you are at risk for SAD.”
SAD, which stands for seasonal affectiveness disorder, is treated by medical doctors and therapists as a real and potentially life-threatening condition.
According to the online site American Family Physician, roughly 4 to 6 percent of the population suffers from SAD, also known as “winter depression.”
Four times more common in women than in men, it often does not appear until a person is in their 20s and its impact does decrease with age, according to Dr. Amy Movius at Eastern Maine Medical Center, who adds the chances of being hit with SAD increase the farther north a person lives.
“In Maine we are at risk because we have such short days,” Movius said.
Symptoms include changes in appetite with cravings for sweet and starchy foods, weight gain, a “heaviness” in the arms and legs, reduced energy levels, fatigue, a tendency to oversleep, difficulty concentrating, irritability, increased sensitivity to social rejection and a tendency to avoid going out at all.
The County is pleased to feature content from our sister company, Bangor Daily News. To read the rest of “Surviving those short, dark days of a Maine winter,” an article by contributing Bangor Daily News staff writer Julia Bayly, please follow this link to the BDN online.
