happy lamp

While this winter was apparently quite mild – we rarely hit the minus 30s – it was still a very difficult adjustment for us Aussies. The days were very short, and I discovered that I am one of the up to 20% of the population who suffers from some degree of SAD (seasonal affective disorder). This is a temporary type of depression that can be mild to severe and is associated with the onset of winter and should disappear with the onset of summer. It is to do with the physiological relationship between light reception in our brain and melatonin and serotonin production. Our circadian rhythm is closely linked to our light exposure.

The days were short – in the heart of winter it was pitch black at 10 am – and the sun light, if any, was very weak. I found myself feeling tired all the time, sleeping for up to 11 or 12 hours and still feeling lethargic. I also felt very low emotionally and felt my naturally cheery disposition escape me on many days. I found myself also really struggling with homesickness.This was one of the things that contributed to my struggle to do things like write a blog!

After many weeks of feeling like this, we decided to fork out for a light box (known as a happy light by some) to sit in front of for up to an hour each morning. This light is many times brighter than a fluorescent light and stimulates the light receptors in our brain. It made an incredible difference to my energy levels and my mood, but it didn’t help to deal with the jet lag. If I did wake at 8 am, it felt like the middle of the night and I couldn’t rouse myself. Even the children weren’t waking until after 10 am, which made for difficult times trying to get to bed at the other end of the day. Next winter I hope to invest in a “light alarm clock”, which gradually brightens the room to allow for a natural waking up process, and helping to regulate our body clock.