3 Simple Steps on how I overcame Seasonal Affective Disorder
I was getting enough sleep and I was exercising regularly. But I was tired all the time.
The mornings felt like I had two slugs over my eyelids that didn’t want to open. I just needed three more hours of sleep (no I didn’t). How was I so tired after 7.5 hours of sleep? If I am this tired in the morning, how will I feel at the end of the day?
It turns out that I was impacted by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It took me a hot min to realize this was the case because I wasn’t sad-sad. After googling, “Why am I so tired?” I even asked my fiance if I had sleep apnea (which I do not). I was just tired and slow all the time, like somehow I turned into a turtle.
Over fall and winter, Seasonal Affective Disorder can hit when you don’t get enough sunlight. It can lower your serotonin levels which impacts mood, lower your melatonin levels which can hurt your sleep, and hurt your circadian rhythm.
For your information, according my pal, WebMD, signs of Winter Seasonal Affective Disorder include the following:
- Feeling sad, cranky, or hopeless
- Less energy
- Trouble concentrating
- Fatigue
- Greater appetite
- More desire to be alone
- Thoughts of suicide
- Weight gain
I checked the UV index here in Chicago and at 11am, it is a whopping 1 out of 10. Yesterday it was a 2. Also it’s not like I love going outside when it is 19 degrees.
So here are the things that I currently do in order to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is not just a list of things you can do, I do every single item on this list.
1. Improve your sleep
- Ear plugs. I always wear ear plugs, even when it isn’t winter. No more nights when I almost fall asleep, only to be woken up by some random creak or mysterious tap. They aren’t sound proof enough to stop an alarm, but it mutes out the ambulance enough where I don’t wake up.
- Humidifier- I use a humidifier every day. In the winter, the heater is blasting and it feels like a barren desert in my apartment. I used to wake up in the middle of the night coughing because it was so dry. And even now, if I forget to refill the water and it runs out in the middle of the night, there is a 40% chance I wake up. As an added bonus, it is good for your skin!
- No caffeine after 2pm. Watch out for the sneaky delicious desserts like matcha cake or ice cream.
- Think about anything else that would help YOU!
- For example, my friend has a 20 year old cat that needs to be fed every few hours. That means he used to wake up in the middle of the night (sometimes twice). But he got a timed automatic feeder that popped open at 1am and 4am, so he would be able to sleep continuously.
- White noise machine is a good option if you don’t like ear plugs
- Bluelight glasses. Notice how I didn’t say no screen time at night. I am sure that would help, but this is the next best thing.
- My aunt wears an eye mask
2. Happy Light with my coffee
Light therapy is used to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder by mimicking sunlight so your body can get the benefits that you would by getting sunshine. I have the Verilux Happy Light that I bought from Costco. It is a bright rectangular light that is that is a little bigger than my Kindle that I turn on every weekday morning while drinking my coffee and going through my work emails. It is set off to the right side, so it doesn’t strain my eyes. I like it because all you have to do is sit in front of it and that is it. And I bought it for $40.
3. Take vitamins and minerals
Vitamin D — A few years ago I told my doctor during my annual check up that I was tired, and she gave me a blood test for Vitamin D. Even when it wasn’t winter yet I was deficient. Once I started taking this tiny golden supplement, I felt a noticeable difference in my energy. Vitamin D helps you process calcium and interestingly, magnesium. Which I didn’t know until I was writing this since I love magnesium.
Magnesium- Magnesium has a lot of amazing health benefits. It lowers your blood pressure, gives stronger bones, relieves stress and anxiety, reduces muscle soreness and headaches, provides more restful sleep and energy. I use Mineral and Co Pure Magnesium Organic Lavender body butter which I love. It absorbs through the skin, but you can also buy magnesium as a supplement.
My boyfriend’s mom’s neighbor gave me a jar of magnesium body butter over the holidays and I started using less than a teaspoon every night. On my lower back, shoulders and around my jaw (I have a tendency to clench). It tingled on my skin, which means I was deficient. I started taking this in 2022, less than a month ago. And I read somewhere that it normally takes 2–4 weeks for it to start kicking in (enough for you to no longer be deficient).
This combined with vitamin D has really helped me. When I sleep, my dreams feels like a 3 day weekend whereas before I only dreamt like once every 4 days. What is nice about magnesium is that you can’t overdose on it. If you take too much, you pee it out!
Multivitamin- I take half everyday. If I take a whole one, then I get nauseous. To be honest, I don’t know how much this helps since I take the other stuff mentioned above, but it can’t hurt.
To summarize
I was able to overcome Seasonal Affective Disorder by:
- Getting better sleep
- Using a Happy Light daily
- Taking vitamins and minerals
As mentioned above, it took a few weeks for my body to no longer be deficient in magnesium so don’t quit overnight. Of course all of this worked for me, but I am not a doctor. So it doesn’t work for you, I suggest reaching out to your primary physician. SAD is a result from a chemical imbalance due to a lack of sunlight which impacts your serotonin levels, melatonin levels and your circadian rhythm.
It isn’t your fault (darn you mother nature). So if you are feeling tired or blue in the winter, take the steps above to keep up with your overall well-being.
Thank you!
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