MARCH-ing to Brighter Days of Spring

March 20^th and spring are just around the corner. Hooray! But for the remainder of winter with lower levels of sunshine, some of us still will deal with the “blues” and I don’t mean B.B. King or Bonnie Raitt.  Here’s why.

--First, the hypothalamus controls the timing mechanisms or internal body ‘clocks’ known as circadian rhythms that oscillate throughout a roughly 24-hour day.

--These circadian rhythms refer to the cycles of physiological and biological processes that control activity and inactivity and affect body temperature, hormonal changes and mood and can disrupt work, school and social engagements.

--Daylight cues our circadian rhythm. When the light hits our eyes it signals the brain.

-- Sunlight controls our sleep-wake schedule. Mental alertness tends to peak at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.; physical strength crests at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.

--Lack of sunlight in winter can cause seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and seasonal depression.

--When light exposure decreases, the hormone melatonin—linked to depression—increases.

--When light exposure decreases, the brain chemical serotonin—linked to the prevention of depression—decreases.

-- Normal circadian rhythms can be disrupted with an imbalance in brain chemistry caused by shorter days.

To compensate for shorter days—

*keep your daily schedule year round.

*increase your time outdoors in the light: walk to work or stay out in the daylight for at least 15 minutes before work and the same amount at lunchtime.

*Try phototherapy and expose yourself to 30 to 90 minutes a day of a bright florescent light. This treatment is successful for 50-70 percent of people with SAD. So, go from SAD to glad the rest of the winter!

And be comforted by the inspirational words of Percy Bysshe Shelley: “O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?”