Table of Contents
Seasonal Affective Disorder
“Have the sun in your heart, whether it’s storming or snowing, whether the sky is full of clouds, the earth full of strife. Have sun in your heart, come what may, it will illuminate your darkest day full of light.” In whose poetry album did not this saying stand for a happy, fulfilling life? Yes, if the sun would shine all year round – in our hearts, but above all from the sky!
Unfortunately, in our latitudes, from mid-September onwards, the days are getting shorter and the lack of light is getting on our nerves. “Every third woman and every fourth man in this country knows this temporary low mood in autumn and winter,” confirms Prof. Frank Schneider, President of the German Society for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Neurology. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is the technical term for the seasonal depression. In sun-poor countries such as Finland, almost 30 percent of the population suffer from SAD, in southern Europe less than three percent are acquainted with depression due to a lack of light. People have always known about the importance of the sun and light.
In all cultures, religions and at all times, light embodied the source of life. In Christianity it says: “God is the light” (Psalm 27), in ancient Egypt the sun was worshiped as the god Re (also called Ra). Diseases that can be based on a lack of light, such as rickets (softening of the bones due to vitamin D deficiency), have always been known, as has the healing power of light. In ancient Rome and Greece one tried z. B., epilepsy and yellow addiction to cure with light therapy.
The symptoms of SAD were also described in ancient times. However, it was not until 1984 that US psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal provided scientific evidence for the connection between light deficiency and SAD. The background: light and darkness control our inner clock in a brain area behind the eyes, the “nucleus suprachi asmaticus”. This is where the release of the sleep hormone melatonin from the pineal gland is directed. This hormone regulates our sleep-wake cycle. Normally, the release of melatonin begins after dark and increases between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. Towards morning the level in the blood drops again. However, even turning on the light for a short time can inhibit the release of melatonin. That’s why not a few people find it so difficult to fall asleep again, when they went to the toilet during the night. Shift work, jet lag, etc. can impair the natural sleep-wake rhythm – and thus our health.
It would be beneficial if we could live according to our biological clock. But the modern world of work sees things differently. There are basically two types of time: the larks (get up early, go to bed early) and the owls (get up late, go to bed late). Today, however, getting up early and going to bed late is the norm – a hybrid between a lark and an owl.
Prof. Till Roenneberg, Director of the Center for Human Chronobiology at the Institute for Medical Psychology at the University of Munich, is convinced that around half of all Central Europeans are permanently in “social jetlag” – out too early, to bed too late. “It’s like living in Munich but having to work Moscow time, so always get up two hours earlier,” he says, describing the effects of e.g. B. Working hours and start of school. The possible consequences: chronic fatigue and even depression.
In people who suffer from SAD, this situation is permanent due to a lack of light. “The melatonin hypothesis used to be that the pineal gland produced more of the sleep hormone melatonin when there was little light,” says Dr. Franziska van der Hall, Senior Physician at the Charité Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Benjamin Franklin. “Today, it is assumed that there is a disturbance in the sleep-wake rhythm in the sense of a ‘phase shift’: in autumn and winter, melatonin is released late in those affected in the evening. If we get later and less light in the morning, the sleep-wake rhythm shifts clockwise. The release of melatonin lags behind the sleep pattern, so to speak. Those affected are extremely tired in the morning and often throughout the day.”
In addition, there is a lack of concentration, bad mood, listlessness, a need to sleep during the day, a large appetite and weight gain. This distinguishes SAD from any other form of depression, in which weight loss and insomnia, among other things, are observed. dr van der Hall: “The diagnosis of SAD is made when the depression is present for 90 days for three consecutive years. Interestingly, you can determine exactly a beginning day and an ending day for the day. In addition, there is a very good response to light therapy.”
Light on!
An extra portion of light causes an earlier release of melatonin and thus a resynchronization of the hormone level. dr van der Hall: “It is crucial that those affected sit very close, 50 centimeters, in front of a 10,000 lux lamp very early after getting up and look into the light source without harmful UVA, B and C rays for one second every minute. Half an hour of light therapy per day is then sufficient. who e.g. For example, sitting a meter away takes two hours for the same effect. In addition, it has to be a lamp that contains white light with the full color spectrum.” Success is not long in coming. “Most patients benefit from the therapy in the first week,” says Dr. van der Hall. “Especially younger patients and those
A new therapy is the “sunrise simulation”. During sleep, an increase in room light is simulated over 90 minutes. So far, however, this method has almost only been used in inpatient therapies – as well as LED lamps with blue light, which are still prohibitively expensive. According to light technology research, the color blue is particularly effective in preventing SAD. Light showers with 10,000 lux are available for the home. For comparison: Normal indoor lighting usually has 300 to 500 lux. On a sunny day, more than 100,000 lux are measured, and 10,000 lux on an overcast day. That is why one of the most important recommendations for preventing light deficiency depression is: go even when it is bad Weather half an hour walk! Even then, it’s still 20 times brighter outside than inside.
Investing in light is worthwhile. It lifts the mood and makes you happier. Light boxes have recently been installed at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, which frequent travelers can use to cure their jet lag symptoms – preferably in the morning on flights to the east, and in the evening on flights to the west. In Norway, on the other hand, “light cafés” are all the rage: there, the latte macchiato is enjoyed in front of a light lamp.
The future: we “hear” light
It is no coincidence that the Nordic countries are regarded as pioneers in the field of light therapy: more than a quarter of the population is permanently depressed – which national economy can cope with that? No wonder, then, that one of the most sensational physiological discoveries of recent years came from Finland. At the Center for Light Therapy Research in Oulu, it was discovered that the brain itself has photoreceptors, making it sensitive and receptive to light. It used to be that light was only absorbed through our eyes and skin . Because the cranial wall is most permeable at the ear canal, devices have now been developed that resemble an MP3 player and bring light into the brain via headphones. The first studies are showing success.
So soon we will be able to “hear” light for twelve minutes in the morning on the way to work, in order to “always have the sun in our hearts and light on the darkest day”. So the chances that the hopeful saying in our old poetry album will always come true are not too bad.
Help with a to-do list
This is how you bring light into the autumn darkness
Daily
• Get up no later than 7:30/8 am.
• Mood-boosting breakfast smoothie: Mix 100 ml apple juice with 1⁄2 mango, 1⁄4 pineapple and 3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds.
• Wearing an article of clothing or accessory in a mood-enhancing color (orange, yellow, red).
• Go for a 30-minute walk at lunchtime.
• A piece of chocolate in the afternoon boosts mood thanks to serotonin.
• Do not go to bed too early (before 10 p.m.).
• Homeopathic remedies help against exhaustion (e.g. “Manuia”, 3 x 1 tablet/day for 4 weeks).
• Natural herbs such as valerian, passion flower and St. John’s wort have a mood-enhancing effect (e.g. “tetesept St. John’s wort capsules”).
Weekly
• Meet up with friends three times a week – a great prophylactic against sadness.
• Meditate 3 x 15 minutes.
• 3 x 1⁄2 hour endurance sports (jogging, cycling).
• Make sure you eat a diet rich in magnesium: lentils, nuts, dried fruit.
• Arrange for one highlight of the week (e.g. a concert or a visit to the cinema).
In September
• Carbohydrates such as pasta contain the feel-good messenger serotonin.
• Train positive thoughts, e.g. B. through the affirmation “I’m fine”.
• Begin with light showers. Eg Philips: “EnergyLight”, 10,000 lux, approx. 200 euros.
• Taking nutritional supplements to strengthen the bones can now make sense (e.g. “Magnetrans forte”) as well as pure vitamin D (e.g. “Vitagamma Vitamin D3”).
In October
• Lavender helps against anxious restlessness (as a concentrate, for example in “Lasea”).
• Cook with herbal mood enhancers like chili, beets, bananas.
• Are you planning a party, e.g. B. Thanksgiving, with friends.
In November
• Set up scented candles with bergamot or jasmine in the apartment, they have a positive effect on the psyche.
• Brighten up those dark days by rewarding yourself with a cup of cinnamon hot chocolate, for example.
