Winter Blues - Seasonal Affective Disorder - SAD How is Austin for this. (Portland: living, shop)

[Trainwreck20]

Light boxes produce a full spectrum of light similar to sunlight. They are called 'boxes' because, at least initially, they were shaped like a box with an open side that you could actually rest your chin on and allow the light to enter your eyes. Recently, though, more of them are used such that you just have to let the light enter your eyes, not necessarily that directly.

Anyway, there is a chemical reaction in the brain that is triggered by light entering the eyes. During no sunlight times, the reaction goes one way...during sunlight hours, it goes the other. People affected with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) have a reaction balance that tends to go too quickly to one side during no-sun light periods. The light box is used to help push the reaction back the other way.

If the reaction spends too much time on the 'dark' side, it causes depression, sometimes severe. Suicide worldwide is almost directly proportional to latitude, with the northern (short day in winter) latitudes being the highest. Although it is not the cause itself, it seems that SAD is the last straw' that can push people over the edge.

Very over simplified, but the general idea.

[pinda]

Ioda006 and Twange please reply back again in January or February,
I hear those are the "winter" months for Austin. If you could remember to reply to this thread then and let me know how you are doing, I would REALLY appreciate it. I think there are so many people that have different degrees of SAD.

I am really hoping Austin is going to be it for me. These forums have been so helpful and people are so kind to take the time to help others.

Thank you so much. I look forward to hearing about others getting help.

[franklin9150]

Thanks Trainwreck. I guess from living here in TX my entire adult life, the subject never came up. The correlation is a very interesting one, although the negative outcome is unfortunate. I couldn't imagine living in an area that would have such a great negative effect on one's quality of life.

[pinda]

I am actually glad when I hear that no one has ever heard of SAD because that must mean it is not prevelant in an area. You are right, it is quite an impact on ones life depending on the severity of it. Trainwreck is a wealth of knowledge and I have learned and enjoyed reading his input as well. Thank you.

[b. frank]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Light boxes produce a full spectrum of light similar to sunlight. They are called 'boxes' because, at least initially, they were shaped like a box with an open side that you could actually rest your chin on and allow the light to enter your eyes. Recently, though, more of them are used such that you just have to let the light enter your eyes, not necessarily that directly.

My friend's father worked for a company that produced high tech gadgets (like infrared goggles) and he worked on an early prototype of the light box for SAD. Friend's dad brought the thing home with him for some informal testing (he suffered from SAD himself).
It was pretty large - kind of like a miniature stadium light - and he propped it up on a surface and just left it on while he was in the room.

[PeacePlease]

From another thread, someone posted this link to an interesting article that talks about SAD:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/18/he...45c&ei=5087%0A

[ioda006]

pinda - got it on my calendar to reply again in february.


The article that peaceplease posted was pretty interesting. most of it was same old info to me, but the humidity part was new. I keep our apartment very humidified in the winter and i know my body just does better all around when there's more humidity in the air.

[pinda]

Thank you for the link. The humidity part was also new to me. I do not humidify our home because condensation already builds up, but I think I will try that too. I did the light therapy for years and felt only a bit of help. I gave it up this year because the eye closest to the light is starting to feel funny. I did start taking Amoryn with 5HTP. That seems to help a bit too. I will slowly try increasing the dosage. (beware of starting with too much). There is nothing like being in the south in the winter. Within 3 days I feel so much better. Amazing.

Thank you for putting me on your calendar to let me know how you feel. I talked to a therapist in Austin that said the barometric pressure in Austin can affect people but it only lasts a day or so. I could handle that.

When I tried to do this thread last year I barely got a response. This time I referred to it as Winter Blues first and that got some notice. I am very greatful for the replys. It gives me hope.

[pilotskid27]

Originally Posted by pinda

Is there enough sunshine in Austin area to avoid getting seasonal affective disorder, SAD, winter blues. Did anyone move to Austin and feel better than they did in the north. I loved Austin area so much and want to move there but I can't find people who suffered with SAD and found relief in Austin.

I was afflicted with SAD during the decade I lived in Chicago. I feel your pain! I was doing light therapy, which helped some, but never completely allieviated my simptoms. Yes, my SAD was a contributing factor in our decision to move to Austin...and the decision has significantly changed my life.

Two factors contributed to my SAD in Chicago: Length of daylight hours, and number of days of sunshine. Chicago is on the very eastern edge of the Central time Zone. So, for a few weeks during the year, you begin your morning commute in the dark, and sunset is about 4:15pm, so you drive home in the dark.

Your question is quite timely given that yesterday was winter solstice- the shortest day of the year--there were 9 hours and 7 minutes of daylight in Chicago yesterday.

The part that always sent my SAD over the edge up North was that stretch of 30+ days of overcast skies (I seem to remember that always happening in November.) So, you could conceiveably exist for a period of weeks without seeing the sun, at all!! No wonder some of us just wanted to stay in bed and carbo load while watching daytime TV!

My little web search just now showed an average of 104 days of sunshine in Springfield, IL annually. I couldn't easily find that stat for Chicago...I guess they realize it's nothing worth bragging about.

In Austin yesterday we had 10 hours and 11 minutes of daylight ( 1 hr and 3 minutes more than Chicago!)...and the days start getting longer (by 2 seconds) on Friday! Plus, Austin reports approximately 300 days of sunshine per year! (That's 200 more days I sunshine than I was getting before!)

When we first moved here (January 2001), I was busy with the details of moving, and not really "aware" of my mood. (My SAD light was still packed in one of the unopened boxes, and I had too many other things I was trying to keep up with to miss it.) Within a few weeks, my husband noted that I "seemed to be much happier" since we moved. It wasn't until he brought it up that I realized I hadn't needed my light!!

I am far more active since we moved here and I have a great circle of friends---I attribute that, at least partially, to the fact that I am happier and more pleasant company!!

You mentioned that you felt better in Mexico. I didn't know where, so I randomly pulled stats from Mexico City..they only get about 30 minutes more daylight than Austin. But, given you don't want to move there, I think you could feel significant relief here. Here is the website I used to find comparable length of day stats: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...nomy.html?n=24

I saw that you asked for follow-up reports from some of the posters in upcoming weeks given that "winter" is here in January and Feb. I completely understand your desire to get thorough information before making a decision, but I don't think you will hear anything that would be a "deal breaker" for moving to Austin.

"Winter" here means relatively lower temperatures. That's it. We don't have extended periods of overcast skies (I'd say, in a bad weather pattern 4-5 days without seeing the sun is a LOT here.) We don't have the short, light- deprived days that you do up north. (In fact, as I said, the days start getting longer this week!)

That's why no one here has heard of SAD....

Come on down!! The sunshine will change your life!!!

[pinda]

Pilotskid27,
How encouraging you are. We live 200 miles north of Chicago, basically the same weather just a tad colder. I start having problems in mid October and it goes until mid May. It has gotten longer as I aged. This year October was much sunnier and it didn't start until November and we went to Arizona and that helped for 1 week after getting home. It doesn't get really bad until January.

Someone told me to eat protein at every meal and only 1 fruit for a carb per day. You are right, I want to eat carbs all day and my weight is going up as usual.

My husband is starting to sound open to moving to Austin because of my research and visit and I feel it is home.

Do you ever have any SAD days?

Thank you to everyone for the great input. It really does give me hope.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!!!!