10 Natural Home Remedies For Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Updated: 11/16/2019

Winter depression is not only a symptom of emotional distress, but also a form of emotional disturbance. In winter, low temperatures and gloomy daylight make most people feel more sluggish, saddened or stuck in a fear that they even do not know the cause of them. According to psychologists, these are typical symptoms of a person with seasonal affective disorder, a type of depression that usually occurs in the winter.

The disease is not life threatening, but it causes a lot of trouble for you. It make you cannot enjoy your life. I know that the reason you are reading this article of 10 Natural Home Remedies For Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Treatment is to learn how to treat this problem at home, but before that, you had better understand some basic information about this problem. That way, you can deal with it the right way.

What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) often manifest quite clearly at the end of the fall and at the early of the winter. This problem fades as the spring knocking. A short autumn day suddenly comes and goes, but it is enough for us to know the taste of the colorful life, leaving uncomfortable feelings. The faint sunshine is also tinged with our mood, which contains thoughts, but is very serious when it comes to making us fall into a state of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) ^[1].

Some people love the cold of the autumn wind, which also means they hate sadness at sunset. It is seasonal depression – the type of depression that is caused by changing the light of the season. However, there are a few people with SAD in the spring and summer. Although you have SAD in any season, you have symptoms such as distraction, lack of energy, sadness, despair, sleep apnea, change of taste and weight ^[2].

Studies show that SAD is involved in genetic problems in the eyes that make patients sensitive to light. Seasonal depression occurs most commonly in people between the ages of 18-30.For people with SAD, dealing with fatigue, stress is more difficult. In addition, when tired, we often want to eat foods that help the body more comfortable, this can easily lead to weight gain. Thankfully, seasonal depression can be overcome. There are many treatments for simple seasonal depression such as light therapy, psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle changes.

What Are Common Causes Of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

• Little Light

According to scientists, sunlight hits the eye, stimulating the brain to produce serotonin-mediated neurotransmitters, which support the functioning of neurons, including mood. If the light intensity is low, it will lead to low levels of serotonin production. On the other hand, low light stimulates the production of melatonin, promoting sleep. The combination of decreased serotonin levels and increased melatonin causes emotional disturbances ^[3].

Poor light causes the human body to lack of vitamin D synthesis (vitamin absorbed through the skin) and Tryptophan (substance creates serotonin – anti-depressant hormone), but this stimulates the production of melatonin (which promotes sleep), which in turn causes emotional disturbances ^[4].

Besides, the amount of sunlight decreases in the winter greatly affects the biological rhythm in the body. In addition, reduced light levels also affect hormone levels and sleep, which in turn can cause seasonal affective disorder.

• Lazy Exercises

In winter, the temperature drops low. Cold air makes people like to roll in a blanket rather than go out to do exercises. However, experts said that exercises significantly affect the human mood. Psychologist John Sharp from Harvard University, author of The Emotional Calendar, recommends regular exercise to make spirits more cheerful.

• Worry About Money

Winter is also about to start preparing for the festive season. Worrying about the cost of holidays makes you easy to get frustrated. John Sharp's advice for this situation is to consider carefully before deciding what to buy. A handmade gift will be more meaningful and economical than unnecessary expensive items.

• Frenzy With Obligations To The Family

The festival season is a family reunion occasion. Of course, this will be a meaningful time and a lot of fun, but also bring a lot of stress and annoyance. You have the ability to prevent unnecessary nuisances and fatigue by politely refusing your friends' unwanted offers, saying that you want to begin the tradition of celebrating holidays at home ^[5].

• Unreasonable Eating Diet

According to Jane Ehrman, a behavioral researcher at Cleveland Clinic, during the holiday season, eating too much oily food and skipping the usual daily diet will cause the body to lack energy. This makes you susceptible to seasonal affective disorder.

What Are Symptoms Of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

There are many people who have experienced the boredom in winter. However, many people have more severe symptoms. Do not underestimate this particular condition because it can have a negative impact on your studies and your work over many months.

The physical symptoms of the disease include:

• Sleeping too much
• Eat too much
• Fast energy consumption
• Lazy and difficult to concentrate

This disease can cause people to fall into despair or have negative thoughts which are disadvantage for themselves. People with SAD often have changes in taste. But the appetite, especially carbohydrates, affects their weight and weight loss plan. Psychologists also suggest that this is a typical symptom of a person with seasonal affective disorder, and at least 20% of the population has experienced seasonal effective disorder.

People with SAD often feel anxious in the fall and winter. The condition is even worse in a few years. But we can fix it. It is important that you change your mind, then you will feel better and your ability to control your illness will be higher ^[6].

Who Is At High Risk Of This Problem?

Anyone can get this disease. If there are people in your family who have been affected by the disease, you are likely to have it. About one-third of the patients have mood disorders, and the incidence of the disease in women is four times higher than the incidence in men. However, some documents indicate that men's disease levels are worse than women's. In addition, people between the ages of 15 and 55 also have a higher risk of this disease. The higher the age, the lower the risk.

When To See A Doctor?

Ask your relatives and friends how they see your behavior each season. We need to see the doctor for a timely diagnosis. To know exactly who is suffering from SAD, follow their behavior for 2 consecutive years. It is important to look at the issue seriously, and have some help. Find important help from special people or doctors if you start feeling desperate or have negative thoughts that are detrimental to yourself. Besides, there are some other simple tricks to keep you in a mood and internal stability throughout the winter.

The above is the basic information about seasonal affective disorder. This is a disease that can go away on its own when the winter ends, but it has a lot of negative impact on your daily life and work. Therefore, do not ignore it. It is time to find out what the best natural home remedies for seasonal affective disorder are. Take a look at TrueRemedies.com!

Top 10 Natural Home Remedies For Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Treatment

1. Have Faith

This is the first remedy in this list of home remedies for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). People with SAD often have anxiety in the fall and winter. Even worse, the condition can worsen over the next few years. But it is important that you change your mind and you need to have faith. That will make you feel better about your health, as well as your ability to control this problem. There are many factors that influence and constrain one's beliefs, and in this case it is the environmental factor. If all you see is failure, if everything around you is only sadness and despair, it is difficult for you to form positive thoughts.

But you can change that. Let’s stand up, get out to go shopping, go to the amusement park, meet up with friends and chat with them, or even clean your home. These things make you relax your mind. They also make you busy and do not have time for negative thoughts. I know that you are feeling very tired, depressed and do not want to do anything, but as I said above, right now, change your attitude. You have to believe that just to overcome the present depression, all your problems will be resolved. Believe that the good things are waiting for you out there, so break the boredom of you, go out and enjoy these good things which you want.

You may feel desperate in the process of treatment because it feels like the disease can never be better. However, that feeling will make your current condition worse. Give yourself extra time.

Learn more: Top 73 Effective Home Remedies For Dizziness, Fatigue & Vertigo

2. Home Remedies For Seasonal Affective Disorder – Reduce Stress At Work

If the work you do at home or at work is overwhelming for you, do not hesitate to ask for help from members in your family or your colleague. Do not let the pressure of your work exacerbate your depression problem. This is reckoned one of the best home remedies for seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

3. Enjoy The Sunlight

Among home remedies for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), enjoying the sunlight is one of the most effective. The complex stimulation of sunlight to the body prevents some diseases of physical health and psychological health. Sunshine also regulates the biological rhythm of the human body.

Phototherapy has been shown to be effective against both seasonal and non-seasonal depression. When it is dark, the amount of melatonin in the body increases as you feel tired. Phototherapy is an effective way of treating SAD, but walking outdoors is also very effective. Some of the ideas that stand between the two methods suggest that morning is the best time for the body to receive sunlight. If your house is not light enough, you should look for ways to let light shine through the windows to give your home more natural light. So there should be a room filled with sunlight – a room of light for the dark days ^[7]. Gets as much natural light as possible between 6 am and 8 am. Open the curtains, spend time on the sunniest room in the house or at least sit by the window. Eat lunch outside. Even when it is a cloudy day, the natural light still does you good.

There has been much research on the connection between light and mood. Sunlight actually increases the level of natural antidepressant in the brain. On sunny days, the brain produces more serotonin (mood enhancer) than the dark days. Therefore, light is essential in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder. Get out and enjoy the sun, or travel to sunny places to relax and treat your problem.

When sunlight comes in contact with the eyes, your optic nerves transmit signals to the brain that produce melatonin – the hormone that causes sleep. In other words, exposure to sunlight during daytime increases the natural production of melatonin at night. This helps improve your sleep. Low levels of melatonin production are associated with poor sleep quality. As we said above, sleeplessness can also cause you to have seasonal affective disorder.

4. Home Remedies For Seasonal Affective Disorder – Persist In Treatment

This is another must-try home treatment in this list of home remedies for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). With depression, you will not be able to treat it right away, because antidepressants may not work for the first 4-6 weeks after use. Even in some cases, some drugs may not work and you need to try alternative medicine. However, do not despair.

Often, a patient with seasonal affective disorder who is treated with medication properly and at the right dose, must spend a long time (about 70% of treatment time). You often have to undergo many different ways before getting the most appropriate treatment for you. This is a very normal thing, so you do not need to worry or think much about it. All you need to do is focus on yourself and do what you think is best for you at that time.

5. Take The Medicine As Directed

This remedy is one of little – known home remedies for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). You should have the habit of taking the pill at the same time of the day. So, you will feel better with taking medicine. Make sure you never miss a dose and you take your medicine exactly as directed by your doctor.

If you need to stop taking any medication for depression for any reason, tell your doctor so they can gradually lower your dose. If you stop the medication abruptly, you may experience side effects of the drug immediately. In addition, stopping the drug suddenly can also cause you to become depressed again.

Do not assume that you can stop taking medicine when you feel better. In fact, many people still need continuous treatment even when their condition has improved. Therefore, if you are feeling better now, it may be because the medication is working, so you should continue to take your medicine.

Learn more: 36 Natural Home Remedies For Headaches And Migraines Relief

6. Home Remedies For Seasonal Affective Disorder – Be Honest When Treating The Disease

This is the next-one treatment in this list of home remedies for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Recognizing and visiting a doctor for seasonal affective disorder is not an easy thing for people with depression. But if you are not honest, the treatment will be long and unsuccessful. If you are skeptical about your treatment or therapy, do not hesitate to tell your doctor. She or he will work with you to create a new treatment which is good for you. Also, if you have new ideas for treatment during therapy, tell your doctor. They will study and make the decision whether to allow you to try this method. Always believe that everything your doctor does is good for you, so do not hide anything related to your illness. Only if you do that will your disease be treated ^[8].

7. Do Exercise

This sounds strange when it comes to home remedies for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). We all know that exercise is good for the body. But you may not know that this is one of the most effective ways to improve mental health. Regular exercise can reduce anxiety and depression. It also reduces stress, improves memory, and gives you a good sleep and more optimistic spirit. The age and severity of the exercise is not a big problem, you just need to do exercises that match your age and health to get the best effect ^[9].

The health benefits from regular exercise include:

• Reduce Stress

One of the most common mental benefits of exercise is stress relief. Activities that produce sweat can help reduce physical and mental stress. Physical activity also increases the level of norepinephrine, which can inhibit the brain's response to stress.

• Enhances The Production Of The Happy Hormones

Exercise helps the body release endorphins, a chemical that makes you feel happy and excited. Studies have also shown that exercise can even remove symptoms in people who are feeling depressed.

• Helps You Relax

For some people, moderate exercise can be equivalent to taking a sleeping pill, even for those who suffer from insomnia. Exercise before bedtime increases the body's central temperature. When the temperature drops back to normal at a few hours later, it signals to the body that it is time to go to sleep.

• Promoting Creativity

A workout that increases your heart rate and sweat helps you promote creativity until two hours later. If you need a breakthrough of creative thinking, try walking a long way to renew your body and your mind at the same time.

For those reasons, do not skip this useful remedy. Let’s do exercise every day. You do not need to do too complicated exercises. Just make simple exercises such as walking, jogging or playing soccer daily, your condition can be improved significantly.

8. Home Remedies For Seasonal Affective Disorder – Omega-3 Fatty Acids

This is one of the little-known home remedies for seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Omega 3 fatty acids can improve mood in psychotic disorders and help the antidepressant work better. There is some evidence that omega 3 can fight dementia and improve mental functioning. Many studies have shown that omega-3 deficiency makes your mind uncomfortable. The lack of omega-3 makes you irritated. You also often face insomnia. In countries where more omega-3 rich foods are consumed, less depression is observed.

Some foods rich in omega-3 include walnuts, cabbage, cauliflower, tofu, fish (especially salmon, mackerel, halibut, and tuna), and nuts (sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds). Include these foods in your diet to prevent seasonal affective disorder or support the treatment of this disease.

9. Trytophan

The next one in this of home remedies for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is trytophan. Serotonin is a chemical that regulates hunger and feelings of well-being, mental well-being. This “fun” chemical will increase when you are exposed to the sun. However, in the days of erratic weather, the lack of sunshine makes serotonin impossible to accomplish its task.

Meanwhile, trytophan is the amino acid that supports the production of serotonin. The relationship between tryptophan and serotonin is thought to be a connection between food and mood improvement. Serotonin is not present in food but tryptophan is abundant in some foods. Foods rich in protein, iron, riboflavin and vitamin B6 also contain high levels of this amino acid.

Some foods rich in trytophan that you should consume are eggs, cheese, tofu, salmon, nuts, and turkey. For the best results, use them with a reasonable serving of carbohydrates such as rice, oats or whole wheat bread.

10. Home Remedies For Seasonal Affective Disorder – Zinc

Animal studies have shown that zinc deficiency in the body is associated with depression. Zinc is a very important mineral for brain health. Zinc along with vitamin B6 helps the neurotransmitter in your brain work better. This will help you stay alert and avoid falling into seasonal or non- seasonal depression.

Zinc is found with high concentrations in the brain region of Hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and emotions. Low levels of zinc suppress neuronal activity, contributing to abnormal behavior such as anger, irritability, or extreme behavior. According to statistics, zinc deficiency causes many people with autistic disorders, hyperactivity, depression, eating disorders, bipolar problems, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer ^[10].

Foods derived from animals such as beef contain a lot of zinc. In addition to beef, other zinc-rich foods are oysters, chicken, yogurt, coarse grains. Adding zinc rich foods every day is a very necessary thing for patient with seasonal affective disorder.

These are home remedies for seasonal affective disorder that are very simple and effective. Apply them to prevent or improve your condition. If you have any contributing ideas about our article of “Top 10 Effective Home Remedies For Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) Treatment” introduced in Home Remedies Category, do not hesitate to drop your words below this post. We will answer as soon as we could.

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