By Karen Schierhorn Dec 18, 2006, 6:39 GMT
Berlin - It starts when the days get shorter in late autumn and often doesn't disappear until March: winter depression.
It not only causes sufferers long periods of feeling down, but also is accompanied by other aggravations such as restless sleep, loss of drive and a state of anxiety. Experts say one of the best ways of alleviating the problem is light therapy.
The problem occurs because when the days get shorter and there is less daylight, the body produces more melatonin, a hormone that causes drowsiness.
'A slightly depressed mood during the dark months of the year is nothing unusual,' said professor Jürgen Zulley, a sleep therapist at the University of Regensburg in southeastern Germany.
As opposed to a normal feeling of melancholy, winter depression is characterized by an added need to sleep, ongoing lack of energy and strength, trouble concentrating and overall diminished vitality.
Professor Malek Bajbouj, psychiatrist at Berlin's Charité university hospital, said a person is suffering winter depression when the depressive state occurs every day, lasts two weeks or longer and when the episodes occur in at least two consecutive years.
Light therapy is the most practical solution, experts say. A special lamp is used to provide the sensation of bright sunlight. The therapy can take place at a doctor's office or at home. The lamp's white rays of light shine into the retina, stimulating areas of the brain, which in turn produce the hormone serotonin. A filter blocks out harmful UV rays.
The length of time spent looking at the lamp depends on its strength. Stronger light require just 30 minutes daily, while those with less strength require as much as two hours.
'The best time to use the light is in the morning so that the body recognizes that the day has begun,' said Bajbouj. Properly used, the lamp's bright light helps the inner clock regain its timing. The result is clearer thinking, better sleep and the ability to enjoy life to the fullest again.
Professor Thomas Schluepfer, deputy director of the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychology at the University Hospital in Bonn, recommends that people who suffer winter depression buy their own lamp.
They range in price from 400 euros to 1,200 euros (530 to 1,600 dollars) depending on strength.
'The whiter the light, the more effective it is,' said Bajbouj, adding that taking a 'light shower' in a solarium can improve someone's mood, but it doesn't have the hormonal effect of a prescribed light therapy. 'Aside from that the UV rays in solarium light can damage the skin.'
Basically, any natural light source can improve mood. Zulley also recommends moderate exercise in fresh air, preferably for an hour during midday when the sunlight is strongest. Even when it's cloudy, the sunlight is strong enough to make a difference, he added.
Your Talkback on this Story