Arctic Science Journeys
Radio Script
1996

__________________

Fighting the Winter Blues
__________________

Dr. John Booker is a public health researcher at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He says a quarter of all Alaskans experience some symptoms associated with SAD.

"It's very common for people suffering from winter depression to suffer from sleep disturbances, feeling sleepy during the daytime. They also tend to report that they're more irritable, that they have a hard time getting along with people, oftentimes are less interested in social activities or social interaction. People often report weight gain during the wintertime."

Although the process is not well understood, researchers say Alaska's long dark winters disrupt the production of the hormones melatonin and ceratonin. Together these two hormones control our sleep-wake cycle.

"Basically think of it as melatonin being the chemical which makes you feel sleepy. So it tends to increase in the early mid evening period of time and then goes down in the morning. And ceratonin is sort of the opposite, it is the chemical which produces awakedness. And that is supposed to come on in the early morning and last through the day with some ups and downs."

The production of these hormones is controlled in part by our eye's exposure to light. But long periods of darkness produce untimely amounts of melatonin tricking us into believing it is time to sleep, even if it is the middle of the day. While there is little we can do to change the length of our winters, there are strategies to lessen the effect of SAD. John Booker.

"If you are going to live in an extreme environment like Alaska where you have the seasonal change in daylight then you need to expose yourself to the available natural light to the maximum degree. You can do that in couple of ways, one is by being out of doors in the light when it is available."

Another approach is to bring natural or artificial light into your home or workplace. You can do this by installing full-spectrum lights or florescent lights in your home. If these steps fail to boost your spirit, it may be time for a more rigorous exposure to light.

"Most recommendations for photo therapy is exposure to very bright lights every morning for half and hour to an hour. And very bright light is at a minimum five or six times as much light as you find at a normal work or home environment. So adding an additional lamp to your desk doesn't produce the kind of effect you're looking for."

Exercise also is considered effective for combating the winter blahs. And finally, there are prescription drugs available to counter the effects of winter depression. So if you've got the case of the doldrums, cheer up. Add some light to your life and just think, spring isn't too far away. For Arctic Science Journeys, this is Debra Damron.