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With winter quickly approaching, I thought it would be appropriate to devote a portion of November's issue to discussing how winter affects our minds and bodies, and how we can cope with the shorter, colder, and darker days.
An article published in the Journal of Medicine revealed that 3 out of every 5 people in the country are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Common symptoms include lack of energy, increased need for sleep, mood swings, and depression.
This winter is going to be the coldest in ten years. The good news is that a number of scientists and psychologists have developed interesting and effective remedies to help those affected by SAD escape the ailment that leaves them wanting to crawl into bed, bury themselves under the blankets, and hibernate until spring. In this issue, we have included three different articles which discuss SAD and provide helpful solutions for preventing it.
On page 13, in an article entitled "Staying Creative and Productive this Winter," Dr. Leonard O'Reilly, a psychologist who has been studying SAD for the last ten years discusses how high-intensity artificial light, which simulates the longer days of summer, can help people reduce the effects of SAD this winter. Dr. O' Reilly even designed a lamp that you can put beside your bed.
You'll find a second remedy to SAD on page 23, in an article called "Sleeping through SAD." The article features a discussion about SAD with Dr. Lauren Scott, a researcher at Hedrick University in Germany. Finally, on page 34, you'll learn how Dr. Livingston and Dr. Sue Tao of the National Psychiatric Institute discovered that cognitive behavioral therapy, a form of psychological therapy, can stimulate brain activity and increase energy levels.
