Like many people,
you may develop cabin
fever during the winter months. Or you may find yourself eating more
or
sleeping more when the temperature drops and darkness falls earlier. While
those are common and normal reactions to the changing
seasons, people with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) experience a much
more serious reaction when summer shifts to fall and on to winter.
With seasonal affective disorder, fall''s short days and long nights may
trigger feelings of
depression, lethargy, fatigue and other problems. Don''t
brush this off as simply a case of the "winter blues" that you have
to tough out on your own.
Seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression, and it can severely
impair your daily life. That said,
treatment — which may include light box therapy
— can help you successfully manage seasonal affective disorder. You don''t have
to dread the dawning of each fall or winter.