Boost Your Winter Mood and Productivity with vitamin D or morning light

Created December 2019

How to Prevent and Treat Seasonal Affective Disorder Mercola, Dec 2019

* Battling the winter blues with vitamin D (4000 IU) Dec 2015* Seasonal Affective Disorder - treated by both vitamin D and bright light* Seasonal Affective Disorder in Vitamin D Life titles 9 titles as of Sept 2021* Note: Many people are becoming aware the increased Vitamin D = decreased Depression* Anti-depression medication about as good as big increase in vitamin D – meta-analysis of flawless data April 2014* SAD rate 10X higher in cloudy Seattle than sunny Florida - April 2011* Note – The founder of Vitamin D Life has lived in or near Seattle all of his life* Light Therapy Lamp reviews - for Seasonal Affective Disorder - 2024, 2015 Blue light is better?* Hypothesis – A SAD risk factor is low vitamin D – Nov 2014 has the followingimage--- 1. Vitamin D vs broad spectrum phototherapy in the treatment of seasonal affective disorder.- 1999That study was referenced by 340 studies as of Dec 2019

Highlights

  • Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that occurs seasonally, typically ramping up in the fall and winter months and disappearing come spring

  • Helpful treatments include optimizing your vitamin D and omega-3 levels, light therapy (including blue light exposure in the morning, but not later in the day), optimizing your sleep, the Emotional Freedom Techniques and exercise

  • Your health and mood are intricately tied to exposure to sunlight. For example, your serotonin levels (the hormone typically associated with elevating your mood) rise when you're exposed to bright light. Your melatonin level also rises and falls (inversely) with light and darkness

  • Vitamin D deficiency is very common, and should be a top consideration when you’re looking for a solution to flagging mood and energy — especially if it occurs during fall and winter months

  • While light therapy can take up to four weeks before you notice improvement, it was shown to be more effective than antidepressants for moderate to severe depression in a 2015 study

Tags: Depression