Are you suffering from winter depression? Repeated depressive symptoms during the dark winter months from October to January may be a sign of seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as the winter depression.
The symptoms can vary considerably between individuals. The symptoms include:
- daytime fatigue,
- slump in mood, irritability
- decreased level of general activity,
- decreased level of physical activity,
- indefinite aches and pains
- excessive sleep, poor sleep quality or insomnia and
- abnormal craving for sugary foods (increased need of carbohydrates).
Tips for beating the winter blues:
- Exercise regularly, get plenty of fresh air and relax.
- Get enough sleep and maintain a regular daily and weekly schedule.
- Make sure you are getting enough vitamin D.
- Increase your exposure to the natural light by walking outdoors in the daytime. Light therapy can also be helpful.
- Remember that tiredness may lead people to exaggerate their problems and the winter gloom.
Get light therapy at our units
Did you know that at many FSHS’s unit have light therapy lamps? You can use the lamps in
- Espoo
- Helsinki
- Jyväskylä
- Kuopio
- Oulu
- Rovaniemi
- Turku
The bright light is a minimum of 2,500 lux. Light remains sunlight, but it’s UV-free. The bright light lamp is medically certified to treat SAD.
Here’s how to get the most out of bright light therapy:
- Use the bright light lamp in the morning time.
- Use the bright light lamp about 30-60 minutes each morning. At the first time use the lamp only 10 minutes.
- Right distance of the lamp to your eyes is about 85–200 centimetres.
- Don’t stare straight to the light. You can multitask with bright light therapy for example read a book.