Text / Tu Tingyu / NOW Cheers
With rainy autumn and winter, are you particularly prone to depression? “Seasonal affective disorder” is common in autumn and winter, prone to depression, fatigue, weakness, weight gain and other symptoms, and often relieved after spring and summer.
“Seasonal Affective Disorder” affects the day-to-day needs of medical diagnosis and treatment
For the etiology of seasonal changes and mood swings, most of them focus on the autumn and winter seasons, the decline in sunlight exposure, and the impact of human physiological circadian rhythms. The pathogenic mechanism can also include important neurotransmitters in the human body, such as melatonin, serotonin and more. For example, a 2016 Danish study found that in patients with seasonal affective disorder, the protein that carries serotonin in the body does not decrease in the same way as in healthy people in winter, but it can affect serotonin concentration in the body. In addition, related studies in Taiwan in recent years have also observed that the suicide rate and hospitalization rate for mental and physical illnesses in Taiwan are also related to the trend of seasonal changes.
Therefore, if in the past history of the disease, mood swings often occur in autumn and winter, affecting daily work, social interaction, diet and sleep, you should go to the physical and mental clinic for consultation and assistance. Other than treating general depression, the treatment of choice for “seasonal affective disorder” is light therapy.
The effects of reduced sunlight exposure are more pronounced in groups sensitive to mood changes
For healthy people, there is still no clear conclusion as to whether fall and winter can cause mood swings to the extent of illness. Seasonal changes don’t affect everyone’s mood swings. In a 2020 questionnaire study of 5,000 people from the Netherlands, seasonal changes were found to have a more significant impact on the group of neurotic or emotionally unstable personality traits.
▲ Reduced sunlight, in addition to affecting the physiological circadian rhythm of the human body, effectively changes our outdoor activities, dietary choices and social interaction patterns, and affects our circadian rhythm and emotional state several times in autumn and winter winter. (Image / Summary from NOW Health)
The decrease in sunlight in the fall and winter not only affects the physiological circadian rhythm of the human body, but also often changes our outdoor activities, food choices and social interaction patterns. These changes can affect our rhythm multiple times circadian in autumn and winter and the state. In addition, the lack of sunlight not only occurs in the autumn and winter seasons, the type of work that requires night shifts or the work environment is in an indoor space without sunlight for a long time, and the lack of sunlight in the it is likely that the way of life affects the circadian rhythm of day and night.
Experts suggest 4 ways to reduce mood swings in autumn and winter
Physician Chen Caifan of the Family Medicine Department of Lian An Clinic suggests that when the autumn and winter seasons come, the following 4 ways can reduce the mood swings that affect the autumn and winter seasons:
▸1. Increase sunlight:Engage in more outdoor activities, increase your chances of sun exposure, and also increase your chances of exercise, which will help neuroendocrine system function. Even if you don’t go outside at home, you can open the curtains to let more sunlight into the room.
▸2. Regular social behavior:Socialize with others at the right time in your life. Socializing isn’t limited to dining with friends or attending large gatherings: Dining with family members, talking on the phone with friends, and even being with pets are all social activities that are beneficial to your physical and mental health.
▲ Gathering with family and friends and maintaining a social life can help prevent seasonal affective disorder. (Image / Summary from NOW Health)
▸3. Eat well:A balanced diet is the basis for maintaining the neuroendocrine system. In addition to eating fresh foods, it’s 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 and inflammatory foods and emotions. . it is easy to become more unstable, causing a vicious cycle.
▸4. Vitamin D supplementation:Studies have found that patients with seasonal affective disorder are often vitamin D deficient, and the source of vitamin D in the human body is mainly from skin exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun. Vitamin D has the function of assisting the neuroendocrine system, the lack of vitamin D in the body can be evaluated through blood samples and a supplementation plan can be formulated.
Furthermore, the balance of important neurotransmitters such as serotonin, adrenaline and dopamine can also be assessed through the functional medicine detection “Neurotransduction and Metabolism Assessment”.
Finally, Chen Caifan appealed that if you find that you or your relatives and friends are emotionally affected by the seasons and unable to maintain your daily life and work, you should immediately seek professional medical help and not let the seasons affect your emotional health.
