If you’re one of the millions of people who experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), each year just as the trees lose their leaves and twilight starts in late afternoon, you too undergo a seasonal change. For the next several months, you likely experience a variety of unpleasant symptoms: fatigue, lack of motivation, social withdrawal, carbohydrate cravings, weight gain, the desire to sleep for hours on end. And, of course, there’s the mental dulling down, which can range anywhere from feeling the blues to serious depression.
If your particular form of SAD leans more towards serious depression each year, you should discuss your condition with your doctor. He or she may well suggest medications for at least part of the year. You may also find yourself with a prescription to simply get more light. Many doctors now recommend purchasing a light box and spending a certain portion of each day sitting in the light.
One thing that sitting in full-spectrum light does for you is to increase your body’s production of vitamin D. Your skin naturally produces vitamin D whenever it’s exposed to either sunlight or full-spectrum light. So a legitimate question arises: Would it work to simply take a vitamin D supplement?
F. Michael Gloth III, MD, and colleagues at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore asked exactly that question. The researchers treated a small group of people who had SAD with either light therapy or supplemental vitamin D for just 1 month. At the end of the trial, those receiving the vitamin D performed better on a test that measured depression than did those receiving light therapy.
Another small study done in Australia measured the effects of vitamin D supplements versus a placebo on two groups of healthy people. The study was done in late winter. Again, those people receiving the vitamin D scored significantly better on a test that measured their moods.
While only a couple of scientific studies have looked at vitamin D specifically as a treatment for SAD, numerous studies have found that vitamin D is helpful for depression in general.
Most experts are currently recommending that people take a daily vitamin D supplement in the range of 800 to 1,000 IU. You might want to ask your doctor whether taking a higher dose just for the winter months is appropriate for you.
Along with spending more time in the light during the winter months, there is one nutrient that can be helpful.
Vitamin D |
800 to 1,000 IU |