trailtalk

The lack of sunshine in the winter increases the risk for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) — a form of depression.

“In the winter and fall months, some people are prone to have depression,” psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Okpaku said.

While the exact causes of SAD is unknown, the reduction in sunlight in winter can throw your biological clock out of whack and reduce levels of serotonin — a brain chemical that influences mood — and melatonin — a chemical which regulates sleep and mood.

“The further you are away from the equator, the more likely you’re going to have Seasonal Affective Disorder,” Dr. Okpaku said.

Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder are:

• feeling blue or depressed
• fatigue, low energy
• Trouble concentrating
• appetite, weight changes
• lack of interest

BY JUSTIN HOUSMAN | OCTOBER 22, 2018

It just so happens that doctors are increasingly starting to realize time spent outdoors can be an excellent treatment for chronic health issues. So doctors in the Shetlands are now issuing “nature prescriptions” as part of an initiative to address health issues without drugs if you can imagine that.

For everything from high blood pressure to diabetes, anxiety, and depression, the medical community is learning (though lots of us have always known) that many ailments and diseases can be treated with activities like birdwatching, maybe a little kayaking, perhaps combing a beach for shells, even skipping pebbles across a slow-moving stream. Even just sitting silently in a forest, meditating (see: Japan, forest bathing).