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S.A.D? Do you have it?

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Posted 1/13/2009 2:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there friends,

I'm 1000% sure I have S.A.D - seasonal affective disorder.  I'm just curious how many of you share this ailment?  I was born on the 2nd day of summer, I've always thought there might be some connection with my date of birth and S.A.D

So, here's the questions ... Do YOU have it? And in what season were you born?

Thanks for your input and hope your having a pain free day

:-)  

Patti de'Panda

Posted 1/13/2009 3:01 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Patti-

I have SAD and I was born on June 23rd.

GamJill

Posted 1/13/2009 3:04 PM (GMT 0)
wow-this is really interesting. i don't struggle with SAD much at all (march is tough sometimes, but i think that's just winter overload by that point) and i was born in february!

your birth season thought is a very interesting one, patti. especially since i tend to feel more down in the summer. (any other winter babies with summer SAD??)
Posted 1/13/2009 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't use to have SAD but I sure do now. I let the sun shine in my eyes this morning and all it did was cause a terrible headache. I was born July 23rd.

 

luv and hugs

Marlee

Posted 1/13/2009 3:14 PM (GMT 0)

Gam - you were born the day after me!!

Marlee.. that's interesting... winter sun gives me a raging headache too!!

Sleepybug, Happy b-day next month, Hmmm?? Summer SAD, very interesting.

Posted 1/13/2009 3:18 PM (GMT 0)
yup. birthday on the 21st. and i have no idea why i tend to feel sadder in the summer..i've always figured it's because the heat and humidity makes me feel absolutely terrible!
Posted 1/13/2009 3:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hi. I do believe that I have a touch of SAD also. Not being treated for it though. I do know that I absolutley HATE IT when it is dark here by 4:30pm. Makes me want to hibernate. I was born the end of January but I love the summer. Can't wait.  Lisa
Posted 1/13/2009 3:34 PM (GMT 0)

Well, Danielle, in my "perfect world" it would be 78 degrees with low humidity, with the sun shining from 6:00 a.m-9:00 p.m - aside from summer allergies, I'm at my very best from late Apr-mid Sept.  I don't like it when its really hot and humid either.

I also think that aside from the lack of sunshine, the lack of color is part of the disorder... just a little add on thought.

Hugs,

Posted 1/13/2009 6:19 PM (GMT 0)
I never realized that I suffered from SAD until I moved to sunny Florida!  I feel so much better.  I wish all of you could be here.  I was born April 21st so it looks like seasons aren't playing into this.

 

Sherrine

Posted 1/13/2009 7:31 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with Sherrine, I was born mid June, and my only truly "bad" time of year is Sept to Jan...but it is not S.A.D. related at all.

 

Interesting topic Patti !! :-)

Posted 1/13/2009 8:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Patti,

I just saw a special segment on SAD on the morning news. I had no idea how very bad it is for some people.

Do not suffer from this one, born in late October. I embrace the seasons and always have. I just love lighting a fire and candles on a dark afternoon. Now I do live in FLA but have spent many winters in New England. I did not find a difference. I spend a lot of time outside regardless of the weather, could that make a difference?? Don't know.

Do you get outside even for a little when its bad? Nature can be watched no matter the season, that helps.

Hugs, Patsie
Posted 1/13/2009 9:08 PM (GMT 0)
Never been officially diagnosed, but I think the short days and long darkness do affect me.

I don't happen to believe birthmonth has anything to do with it.

I would recommend for anyone living in the northern part of the US that deals with short days and doesn't get year round sunshine, get your Vitamin D tested. Many, many folks turn out to be deficient and that can affect how you feel physically. I was tested in April 08 and my level was 13. (we should be at least 36). After summer and presribed supplements, I was up to 25 in October.

Just my humble opinion.
Posted 1/13/2009 9:32 PM (GMT 0)
Julie, many people with fibro have a vitamin D deficiency...no matter where they live.  I am deficient in D and live in Florida!  Also, if I sit in the sun all day long, I will still be deficient if I wear sunscreen...which I always do.

 

Sherrine

Posted 1/13/2009 9:38 PM (GMT 0)
I too am very D deficient and live in FLA. I garden all the time and go out early w/o sunblock just to try to absorb natural D.

Any ideas on this one? Why would I not manufacture D??? I take D3 1000 iu and am now in the low normal range. Going tomorrow for testing.

Patsie
Posted 1/13/2009 10:14 PM (GMT 0)

Hmmm... interesting concept, about the Vit. D.  I'll  have to look into that.

Patsie, I'm a huge nature nut, I've been a member of the Audabon Society for about 25 years, I'm a big time bird watcher.  I plan trips around bird migrations.  I also do nature photography as one of my hobbies.  We have a beautiful state park here, with an awsome nature center.

I don't get out much in the winter if I can help it.. well at least this year.  This has been the first winter I haven't been working in many many years, as long as the temps are below 30 degrees I perfer to be inside.  But I feed and watch the birds year round.

Hugs, 

Posted 1/13/2009 10:33 PM (GMT 0)
I have SAD. I also am "Allergic" to cold--I break out in hives after only a couple of minutes in cold air. The only season I like is summer--here in Iowa. In Florida or Hawaii or the Caribbean I really like all the seasons. My birthday is Jan. 22--but I was born in southern California. I need to leave the house every couple of days or go nuts, but I don't spend much time outside this time of year. Diane
Posted 1/13/2009 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
WEll Patti we have the birds in common. My feeders are just amazing. BUT right now I have a resident raccoon that has even learned to get around the baffle, can you believe it.

In New England I put out oranges and get the most gorgeous orioles. I am bird nuts. Right now all the little finches are here and just buzzing at the thistle feeders. I would love to do "real" bird watching and plan that in my older years. I made tons of peanut butter pine cones this year. Here, FL, I live in an orange grove that I take care of myself. 80 trees but it is totally natural, I do have pickers but the rest i do by hook or crook. Anyway reason for mentioning this is I do not have squirrels here. In the north another issue...

Oh loved hearing about your adventures.

Patsie
Posted 1/13/2009 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hmm, Patti, this is interesting...

I was never diagnosed per se but I feel I do have a touch of S.A.D. I definately tend to get more depressed once the days start getting shorter in the winter.

But then in the Summertime heat, I get very irritable lol So I like the in-between seasons like Fall and Spring!!!

And I was a late-Spring baby smilewinkgrin My mom said the day she brought me home from the hosp. it was RIDICULOUSLY HOT out, the hottest day that Spring.

______________________________________________________________

21 years old

Fibromyalgia, Bipolar Disorder, OCD, Irrational fears

Posted 1/14/2009 12:17 AM (GMT 0)

Cool Patsie!! Glad to know I've got another bird brain (as I call fellow bird watchers) around here!! smilewinkgrin Sounds like you have a wonderful place!! One thing I'll say about a snowy day, is there's nothing more beautiful than a cardinal with a fresh snowfall on the trees and ground.

Thanks, everyone, for helping me out with my little experiment/survey.  I think there's something to the lack of sunshine, warmth and color here in the icy north and our symptoms.

Hugs all around,

Posted 1/14/2009 12:57 AM (GMT 0)
Patsie, do you want a few of my squirrels?  Just kidding!  I have a neat bird feeder that the squirrels can NOT get to!  It's great!  I've tried to get finches but have had no luck but I do get a ton of cardinals and they are so beautiful.

 

Don't worry about my squirrels.  They eat the flowers off my hibiscus.  mad

 

Sherrine

Posted 1/14/2009 2:00 AM (GMT 0)
Only a few human beings receive enough vitamin D by being out under the sun. this is just a natural fact. Those people are very fair skinned.

The rest of us, need supplementation via foods or vitamins. One example is I am African American, every single person of my coloring who participated in studies on Vitam D was needed supplemts. In general people in pain are low in vit D, not just folks with fibromyalgia

This includes brunettes, redheads, Europeans and other lighter skinned peoples.

Donnaeil
Posted 1/14/2009 2:24 AM (GMT 0)
Hi patti I don't have S.A.D. but still get pretty depressed during the winter when it get
s dark so early. Not sure where i heard this or if it's true, but i remember hearing right through here in Indiana & the midwest, we get the least amount of sun during the winter.
I'm also a bird lover. This summer I had two big ferns hanging on my front porch. about a month ago they looked terrible, of course from being dead. I kept seeing this Cardinal quite often & when John took them down to throw in the trash the cardinal went crazy, flying back & forth between the tree & the fern. I told him to go dig it out of the trash & hang it back up. Sure enough, a couple minutes later it went right back inside it. My kitchen window faces it so now I watch it go in & out. People probably wonder why I still have a dead fern hanging outside...lol.
We have a terrible time keeping the racoons off the bird feeders. We even wraped metal around the pole & I sprayed it a few times with Pam...lol..but those little devils still find a way to climb it. ~Sande~
Posted 1/14/2009 2:30 AM (GMT 0)
Patti,

I do have SAD (was diagnosed at my last visit) and was born in July. I know that everyone has their own way of "dealing" with this, but I go to the tanning bed at least once or twice a week. The doctor did not say this would help, but I feel better after. I also get SUPER cold all the time, so it helps me warm up. I have also heard that the supplements are a good choice if you are actually vitamin D deprived. Oh, and my husband's dad has it and he said they make special lights for people with SAD. Anyway, my doctor recommended getting outside for at least 15 minutes a day if possible.

Hope that helps!
Aimee
Posted 1/14/2009 3:15 AM (GMT 0)
My doctor told me that S.A.D. is most common in people of Northern European Ancestry whose forebearers survived the ice age. They kept gathered grains and made 'porridge' by the fire, sleeping away the winters in a sort of semi-hibernation phase to conserve calories. Cereal based foods could be stored and eeeked out thru the dark cold season whereas hunting could take a lot of calories and not guarantee a payoff if the hunt wasn't successful.

The increased carbs raised serotonin levels and helped induce more sleep. This lowered the metabolism so even less calories were needed to survive. Because we have this 'left over' semi-hibernation inclination built into our genes we mostly want to just eat starchy food and sleep in the winter. I have found that by using a Happy Lite from Verulux I can increase my energy levels, decrease my carb craving and help my sleep cycles normalize out. She prescribed me 4 hours a day to start and I've got it down to about 2 hours a day now when there is sunlight coming in my office window.

You may want to look into getting a broad spectrum light to help your S.A.D. My insurance didn't cover it but I didn't care. I feel so much better when I use my light. That, and my prozac are my two best friends in winter.
Posted 1/14/2009 3:39 AM (GMT 0)

I've always thought I had S.A.D. but I have never brought it up to my doctor. Spring has always been my favorite season. I just can't wait! I have always been more depressed in Winter. The only thing I look forward to is lighting fires in the fireplace, the first beautiful snowfall, & feeding/watching all the different birds that come to my feeders. Wow, seems like winter should be over by now, that was alot!

I really get bummed and just don't want to go anywhere. I live like a hermit thru Winter! I would probably feel much better if I would force myself to getting out and doing more things, but I just don't want to. Give me a hot cup of tea, a fireplace, & a good book and I'm good!

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