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Winter Depression and Prayer
By Rajah Lang and Mirium Amer
01/01/2002
"As I grew older, the arrival of autumn every year
brought with it a sense of depression held over from my youth. The coming of
winter blanketed my heart with a darkness that seemed to be inescapable.
Although the world was covered in white, my emotions were black and grim. I
became sullen, I gained weight, all I wanted to do was sleep. The sadness
appeared in late September, and seemed to fade away with the first new leaves of
spring, and the call of the arriving robins. Like the crocuses and daffodils
awakening from their slumber, my soul seemed to wake up as well.
"As an adult, I have learned to put a name to this
seasonal depression: Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. Somewhere, somehow, a
wise and knowing person recognized that millions upon millions of human beings
across the world acknowledged the same symptoms I had suffered through virtually
every autumn and winter of my entire life. This wise and knowing person put a
name to it, and suggested treatment: light. Bright, blazing, intense, warm,
wonderful light." - Mirium
Many people suffer from what is call SAD or Seasonal
Affective Disorder. SAD is a particular form of acute depression. People born in
warmer climates and move to cold climates find they are unusually susceptible to
this disorder. However, no matter where you live, this disorder usually begins
when the temperature begins to drop, and the daylight hours grow short. This
winter depression may be accompanied by a craving for sweet foods and a
resulting weight gain, as well as difficulty in motivating oneself to rise from
bed in the morning before sunrise. In severe cases medical attention needs to be
sought, especially for those persons whose normal routines are interrupted and
they find themselves withdrawn and overly sad, seeking sleep during the daytime
hours, and unable to perform their normal duties.
Some people also experience Summer SAD due to lack of
exposure to the sun in the summer months. This may be due to long hours at
indoor work or to avoidance of the sun in very hot climates - such as Saudi
Arabia. Symptoms of Summer SAD may be poor appetite, weight loss and insomnia.
Either type of SAD may also include symptoms present in some other kinds of
depression, such as feelings of guilt, a loss of interest or pleasure in
activities, persistent feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, or physical
problems such as headaches and tummy troubles.
In ALL cases of SAD, however, melatonin seems to be the
common link in the causes of the disorder. Melatonin is a natural hormone made
by the body's pineal (pih-knee-uhl) gland. The pineal gland lies at the base of
the brain. When the sun goes down, and darkness comes, the pineal gland
"goes to work." As melatonin production rises, a person begins to feel
less alert and body temperature starts to fall. Sleep seems more inviting. Then,
melatonin levels drop quickly with the dawning of a new day. Levels are so low
during the day, in fact, that scientists often have difficulty detecting
melatonin at all during the day. Melatonin levels thus go hand in hand with the
light-dark cycle, not just for people, but also for plants and animals that keep
alert during the day. Melatonin production is also related to age. Children
manufacture more melatonin than the elderly do and melatonin production begins
to drop at puberty. Also, when days become shorter and darker the production of
this hormone increases. Melatonin levels in the body determine a person's
activity and "energy" level. High
melatonin levels cause drowsiness, while low melatonin levels correspond to an
alert state of consciousness.
Light therapy using special light lamps is the most common
ways to alleviate this struggle for alertness. Our bodies need a full spectrum
of light to carry out a variety of metabolic processes and produce melatonin at
acceptable levels. Light entering
the eye regulates body chemistry, and in particular, the secretion or
suppression of melatonin. Note, however, that due to UV dangers, therapists do
not recommend the use of tanning beds as a cure for SAD http://www.nu-light.com.
Some very light-sensitive people who live or work in dim
environments may feel improvement with increased exposure to normal room light.
Research studies show, however, that most sufferers of SAD and winter doldrums
require exposure to light levels much higher than ordinary indoor lamps and
ceiling fixtures provide. Such therapeutic levels are five to twenty times
higher (as measured in lux or foot-candles by a light meter) than typical indoor
illumination in the home or office. Aside from these environmental treatments,
some sufferers find that standard antidepressant medications provide relief,
even if they do not reach their normal level of well being until spring or
summer. Many patients have been in psychotherapy and found it to be helpful to
them in many ways - but unfortunately, not in relieving their SAD symptoms
www.lightandions.org/blt.htm.
However, as Muslims we can have faith that the symptoms of
SAD will not remain all year long. For Allah (swat) set everything in motion and
the days will grow long again as soon as December 21st. On this shortest
day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is at its lowest and
weakest, a pivotal point from which the light will grow stronger and brighter
once again feeding us with light and warmth. This event will alleviate SAD and
make it easier to arise and perform wudu and salat.
Sources:
American Academy of Family Physicians.
"Information from Your Family Doctor, Seasonal Affective
Disorder." American Academy of Family Physicians.
February 2000.
Anderson JL; Rosen LN; Mendelson WB; Jacobsen FM; Skwerer
RG; Joseph-Vanderpool JR; Duncan CC; Wehr TA; Rosenthal NE. "Sleep in
Fall/Winter Seasonal Affective Disorder: Effects of Light and Changing
Seasons." Journal of Psychosomatic. 1994 May, 38:4, 323-37.
Bagby RM; Schuller DR; Levitt AJ; Joffe RT; Harkness KL.
"Seasonal and Non-Seasonal Depression and the Five-Factor Model of
Personality." Canda: University of Toronto: J Affect Disorders. 1996 Jun 5,
38:2-3, 89-95.
Birtwistle J; Martin N. "Seasonal Affective Disorder:
Its Recognition and Treatment." British Journal of Nursing. 1999
Aug, 8:15, 1004-9.
Lindsley, Gila. "Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
About Light, Depression & Melatonin." USA: New Technology Publishing,
Inc.
http://www.healthyresources.com.
http://www.nu-light.com/
www.lightandions.org/blt.htm
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