Someone posted this link over at the SAD support group I subscribe to. It shows the number of hours you might expect at particular times of the year.

Hours of Daylight by Latitude - Table - MSN Encarta

I struggled though with knowing where in the world different latitudes were and as I couldn’t find my trusty school atlas I found this list of places names with all kinds of data (including latitude)

http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/surface/stations.txt

Apparently the UK is around 50 degrees North….feels worse on some days but the past few weeks the weather has been kind with lots of sunny days.

There is more to Seasonal Affective Disorder than feeling down with the passing of the seasons. Patients must generally show symptoms of being affected by low winter light levels for 3 years in a row before a diagnosis is made. As the Times Online states in answer to a reader query

“Most of us enjoy summer more than winter and regret its passing. There are good reasons why domestic quarrels reach their peak at the end of August, after the summer holidays, and during the Christmas break. These have little to do with changes to sunlight but quite a lot to do with the passing of the seasons and the way in which the sparkle may go out of people’s lives once morning and evenings are wet and dark.”

Seasonal changes can leave you feeling so Sad - Health - Times Online

technorati tags:SAD, Seasonal+Affective+Disorder

Try this 11 point natural plan for treating SAD according to the principles of Ayurveda - the ancient medical science which teaches us how to be healthy by wholly natural means and looks at our whole being rather than just our body or our symptoms.

Ayurveda regimen for winter depression.

technorati tags:Seasonal+Affective+Disorder, SAD, Ayurveda, treatment

Best description I have read about how it feels to be in the depths of Seasonal Affective Disorder arrived today in my inbox from Paul in the Yahoo SAD support group

“I’m talking here about the extreme lethargy; the TOTAL loss of interest in anything whatsoever; the inability to concentrate on any tasks; the utterly debilitating tendency to abandon ANY and EVERY activity at the first and SLIGHTEST sign of any setbacks; and the total resignation that your life is meaningless and your death is inevitable (and would indeed be a welcome release).”

It’s essential to get medical help if you feel depressed - don’t wait until the depths of winter (or despair).

There’s renewed acivity in the Online Support Groups for Seasonal Affective Disorder now that the days are getting shorter in the Northern hemisphere.

One well moderated group is at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/S-A-D/

I don’t post there out of respect for the group (they ask that only those with a diagnosis actually post) but it great for those who are undergoing treatment for SAD or for getting a better understanding of the condition if you have friends or relatives who suffer.

Recent postings have been about dealing with friends and relatives who dismiss Seasonal Affective Disorder as “all in the mind” and tell you to just get on with it.

You can really only deal with that in one of three ways:-

a) try and educate them - give them books and literature to read

b) ignore them and try and not let them get to you

c) break off the relationship (or see less of them) if they are unsupportive because an unsupportive relationship is the last thing you need when you are feeling down.

Definitely worth joining the SAD support group if you’re a sufferer. You are not alone with this.

When it comes to Seasonal Affective Disorder every bit of light helps though of course normal light will not help to fend off full-blown SAD.

This article has a few tips to increase your exposure to light, for example

“If you do a lot of driving, it’s helpful to have a sunroof in your vehicle. This way, you can let in as much light as possible during the gloomy season.”

I must admit i didn’t think of that when I bought my last car so I thought some of the tips might be new to you too.

BCNG : Don’t get SAD, get light stuff this fall and winter

technorati tags:SAD, Seasonal+Affective+Disorder, Light

There has been a patent application for a cellphone which would emit light of the kind used in treating Seasonal Affective Disorder. 

“The patent, US 2006/0183516 calls for a phone to be fitted with a number of light panels on the face of the phone which would deliver “light therapy” to the users face when the phone is in use.”

You’d have to be on the phone an awful lot to benefit - sounds like a bit of a gimmick but I’ll reserve judgement until it appears.

The Cellphone That Wont Make You SAD

technorati tags:SAD, Seasonal+Affective+Disorder

In the days when I worked in a big corporate open-plan office - the kind with cubicles like Dilbert, there was always a fight for the seats by the windows despite the view being nothing but concrete. We all want more natural light with or without SAD. Now scientists have found that it helps are brains stay more alert too. No surprises there then.

“A team of scientists in Britain and Belgium have found that sitting in bright light for 21 minutes in the morning significantly increases your alertness.”

Brilliant discovery - Health - Times Online

technorati tags:SAD, window, light, seasonal+affective+disorder

Recent research at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development suggests that babies who are denied access to natural light (such as those who are premature and subject to artificial lighting in hospital for some time) may experience an interference in the development of their biological clock.

The research found that constant light prevented the development of the biological clock in baby mice.

While lighting is important for the staff working overnight in hospitals, thsi report suggests that the effects on both nurses and patients needs to be studied more.

Vanderbilt News Service

technorati tags:Light+exposure, SAD, Babies, Biological+Clock

This article has a description of all the types of light bulb out there (and who knew there were so many) but note the warning

“Some full-spectrum bulbs are marketed as being useful in treating Seasonal Affective Disorder, but lighting expert Joe Rey-Barreau notes that the treatment for the disorder involves amount rather than type of light.”

Beacon Journal | 08/19/2006 | SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ON BULB NOMENCLATURE

technorati tags:SAD, Seasonal+Affective+Disorder, light+bulbs