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Last posts on private forums:  sare  2008-06-16 09:56:33 matthew 2008-04-12 21:25:59 pieniadz 2008-04-12 20:52:26
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Last posts on private blogs: matthew 2008-04-12 21:25:17 mary 2008-04-12 19:27:47 |
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Lastly added medical terms:
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You are in: Main Page / Medical articles / Lifestyle / Seasonal Depression
Seasonal depression also known as affective disorder is a disease caused by lack of light. It usually happens in winter or fall and gives several symptoms mentioned in the article. It also tries to describe the ways of combating seasonal depression.
Fall is usually associated with poor mood and depression, it can be blamed on lack of sunlight and low temperatures. Days are short, cloudy, rainy and windy, all these conditions make exposing to sun barely possible.
Symptoms of this seasonal depression include: sluggishness, sleepiness, lack of energy, irritability, anxiety, problems with concentration, feeling of sadness and depression, lack of motivation and excess appetite. The lack of natural sunlight may be a good reason for using light therapy. You can take part in the light therapy in various places: from spas, mental hospitals to natural medicine clinics. A typical light therapy session takes place in a room painted white which is lit by bright light of over 2500 luxes. It's work isn't detrimental to our skin because it doesn't contain UV rays. The whole therapy involves over a dozen of sessions. You can also try to have this type of therapy at home, with a special lamp. Remember to consult a doctor to check whether there are no contraindications such as eye diseases and certain medications.
Protect your organism
During fall it is important to prevent ourselves from colds and infections. That is why you should wear appropriate clothes, put layers of clothes on you. Remember to protect the neck and head even if the temperature hasn't fallen below zero. You can take vitamin C pills as a precaution measure and enrich your diet in products rich in vitamin C.
A good way to improve one's mood is to practice sports. During autumn you should visit fitness club, gym or a swimming pool twice as often than in spring or summer. Walking is also advisable, even though days are cool it is always good to oxygenate the organism and take advantage of all sunny days. Practicing sports makes the organism produce hormones of happiness, endorphines. If you want to enhance your psychological condition you can also try various relaxation techniques.
Our mood is also influenced by colors around us, so in the fall it's especially important to decorate the interior with cheerful and bright colors as well as to change our outfits into lighter ones. Taking care of our own appearance will also affect our mood. Women can visit a hairdresser or a beautician to change their look. If you can afford it's a good idea to visit a spa resort to regenerate your own organism.
Friends are perfect remedy for all those dull rainy fall days, and instead of sitting in you should visit and invite friends as much as possible.
Appropriate diet
When thinking about the menu we should remember to provide the organism with all necessary vitamins and nutrients. A balanced diet will protect us from cold and flu. We should eat plenty of produce which give energy such as fruit, sunflower seed, chocolate. Dinners or suppers should contain fish because it's rich in omega 3 fatty acids, moreover, they strengthen the immune system. Leguminous plants e.g. soy, broad bean, lentils, beans provide the organism with fiber and vitamins. Fall is a season for nuts which are rich in potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamin B1, B6, A. However, people who are on a diet should eat nuts in small amounts, they are high calorie produce. Food rich in such elements as selenium, magnesium which improve the work of our nervous system is also worth eating, you can find them in such foods as bran, oatmeal, cocoa.
Our personal attitude also plays a crucial role in combating fall depression. We should try to look at a bright side of life, no matter the weather or temperature outside. Fall is a time of slow down, calming down and even though we have less energy it does not have to be negative. It is a good time for relaxation and thinking, long autumn evenings can be spent with family, friends and a cup of coffee. Such evenings are undeniably beautifully lazy, they bring people together. So don't' allow monotony and routine sneak into your life. It's always high time to try new things, learn new skills, maybe it would be a good idea to enroll into a language course to learn a language you always wanted to learn or take up aerobics? Maybe it's good to have a holiday break without this holiday crowd typical for the summer? There are plenty of ideas on how to spend long autumn evenings, all you have to do is to find motivation to break off the routine.
When cold days are coming you feel loss of energy and apathy. It's an evident sign that you got a seasonal depression. There's nothing to worry about, there are many ways to fight this condition effectively. Change your diet or lifestyle and you'll surely feel much better.
Added by:
mary
not connected with health care system
Added on:
2008-10-15 13:49:08 ,
Updated:
2008-10-15 13:51:25
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