I’m Bringing HAPPY Back! Natural Cures For Winter Depression

by Susan Cross | Posted: January 26th, 2012 | No Comments »

Do you over eat in winter? Is over eating making you sad? Or is SAD making you over eat? Find out the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Unlike bears most of us can’t settle in for our long winter’s nap. Instead we work long hours, get little sleep, eat heavier foods, exercise less and then call each other to complain about our colder, chubbier selves! If you’ve found yourself wondering: why am I tired all the time?, why am I so hungry?, why am I fighting with my husband more?, why are my kids more annoying than usual?, why haven’t I exercised? why don’t I want to do anything? and why have I gained so much weight? Don’t worry there is a reason for these feelings.

If you live in the northeastern United States between the months of January-March there is a very good chance that you experience some of the thoughts listed above. If you are over 35 you may experience them to a greater degree.

I know I did. My quality of life begins to dwindle once the holidays come to an end. When January rolls around it feels as if someone else has inhabited my once happy being. So who is this mystery guest? It is called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD for short.

Now most of us wait it out, accepting this diminished quality of life, hoping that Spring will eventually keep her promises. Why wait? Don’t waste several months with a reduced quality of life? I’m sharing support tips for you: nutritional choices, supplements, and lifestyle techniques that will lift you up.

There is a difference between depression and SAD. There are some among us who have more serious bio-chemical imbalances, who may find great improvement from anti-depressants. Please continue to nurture yourself.

SAD differs from depression, it is a low-level change in your bio-chemistry brought on by the longer nights and shorter days of winter. This lack of sunshine effects our brain chemistry by cutting our supply of one its most valuable nutrients, sunshine and light. Which together, increase the serotonin levels in our body.

This temporary slump in mood is different than depression. Often the winter was a time to catch up on rest, to go to sleep earlier and to cozy down. We aren’t really honoring that any longer, and our mind, body and spirit are challenged by it. Please know SAD should go away once Spring comes. It may also comfort us to remember, that the opposite of happiness is unhappiness not depression. You have just been temporarily knocked down a notch or two due to serotonin levels. We have become a society where when anything is off balance we want to take a pill and run for cover. You can use these feelings to try and pinpoint what isn’t working in your life, what you can do better or differently, and how you can help yourself feel better. Do you need more joy? More laughter? Are you just in a rut? So other than moving to Florida, what else can we do? Plenty.

SUPPLEMENTS:

Vitamin D: It’s the SAD the powerhouse, the sunshine supplement. Did you know that most people in the United States, especially on the east coast, are deficient in vitamin D? Almost 90% of us! It is true.

Vitamin D is essential for boosting the immune system, promoting calcium absorption for strong bone health, helping the feel-good hormones and reducing inflammation in the body. Scientists have found that many of our cells work with vitamin D receptors, and without proper D in our bodies our cells can’t carry out this necessary conversion to maintain optimal health.

CALCIUM
The feel-good mineral also gets depleted in the winter. I take mine in liquid form and just pour it into my smoothie.

B VITAMINS
B Vitamins help the body reduce it’s stress hormones while increasing the feel good hormones. B vitamins offer wonderful benefits to our hormonal imbalances in general.

RHODIOLA ROSEA
Rhodiola has been successful in alleviating fatigue, depression, stress, attention, anxiety and panic disorders, insomnia and improving memory and focus. It also helps with metabolism especially during the SAD months, when cortisol goes up, serotonin goes down, we feel blue and gain weight.

To learn more about Rhodiola, please view Metabolism Boosting Superfoods Part 2.

MAGNOLIA BARK:
This is one of the oldest plants on earth and has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Fossils date back 95 million years! Mostly found in Mongolia and Japan this bark has been used to heal almost everything! It lowers cortisol (the stress hormone), easing anxiety and depression. It is used as a fat burner and a laxative. It’s also used to boost immunity, diminish cramps, and ease digestion by vanishing bloating and gas. As if all this wasn’t enough, Japanese studies show that honokiol and magnolol, both found in magnolia bark are over 1000 times more potent than vitamin E as an antioxidant. It’s truly every woman’s dream herb! You can purchase it at the health food store. I use Amer-med brand.

EXERCISE
The number one way to boost your serotonin levels? You guessed it – exercise! Exercise is the number one thing that can actually regenerate your neurons! Exercising even 20 minutes a day is proven to boost those endorphins. Your serotonin levels go up, cortisol goes down and you instantly feel happier. Your metabolism also gets a boost and exercise almost guarantees you will make better food choices.

To kick it up a notch – exercise outside when it’s sunny out. Don’t wear sunglasses. The sun must hit your retina in order for the nutrients to be absorbed and work their feel-good magic. I know, it’s cold out – but do it anyway. I suffered many a winter -one quarter of our existence. Take back your quality of life. Buy thermal underwear, warm boots, ski pants if you must, and a warm hat. When you are bundled up and getting a real dose of vitamin D you will feel happier.

SLEEP
After food this is my most talked about subject. Sleep seriously effects our hormones and metabolism. Lack of sleep negatively impacts our brains neuron signaling and how it responds to serotonin. Now that we have learned that exercise is one of the only ways to regenerate your neurons, is it any wonder that you sleep better when you are exercising!

DIGESTION
Did you know that almost all of your body’s serotonin is found in the cells of your gut? Yes, 80-90% isn’t that amazing. Our gut holds most of our feel good hormones and this is why it’s also called our 2nd brain. It’s where we receive our ‘gut’ responses or knowing, from.

Studies have been done on rats, that show when they are injected with serotonin their hunger levels decrease dramatically! So let’s connect the dots – serotonin levels dip in the winter months, most of our serotonin levels are in our gut, we over eat and experience more cravings during January-March! Puzzle solved.

NUTRITION
Because nutrition plays a crucial role in our moods and feeling good, I have listed some foods that can boost serotonin levels in your gut. Some of the foods are serotonin inducing foods solely for the gut. Others have tryptophan, the amino acid needed to transport serotonin to the rest of your body.

Sun Warrior Protein Powder has this amino acid and it is a perfect way to gain energy, get your protein and increase serotonin. Carbohydrates are craved more during winter months because of their serotonin increasing properties. This is why diets begun in the Spring have a higher success rate. You begin your diet in January, you cut out all carbs and by week two you’re depressed and feel like a failure for breaking your goal. The truth is that your already low serotonin has taken too much of a dip by cutting out the carbs. I have tricks for that by the way!

So my good-mood foods are:
-Pecans
-Walnuts
-Bananas
-Pineapples
-Tomatoes
-Kiwi
-Turkey
-Milk
-Yogurt
-Cottage Cheese
-Eggs
-Meat (organic, grass-fed)
-Fish
-Olive Oil
-Flax Seed Oil
-Avocado
-Olives

So get some rest, get outside, and most of all – FEEL GOOD!