Seasonal Affective Disorder affects 2 million people in the UK each year. And women are more likely to suffer than men. So if you’re feeling down at work, find out how to get some light back into your life

Do dark winter days leave you with no energy? Do you feel like a different person when the sun shines? Most of us experience something like this but we work round it by taking a winter holiday somewhere brighter or maybe dropping everything on the occasional good day to remind ourselves how good even a wintry sun can feel. However, it’s estimated that for around two million people in the UK the lack of sunlight during the winter months can cause more serious problems that often go unrecognised.

Terri, a computer, analyst caught a radio report on Seasonal Affective Disorder – SAD – as she was driving to work one morning and discovered that it described her feelings precisely. ‘It was a real relief to know that there was a reason for feeling the way I do every winter. It’s something that’s always affected me but it’s worsened as I’ve become older. I was nervous about mentioning it to my GP, but she was great. She didn’t dismiss it, instead came up with lots of practical ideas for how to minimise its effect.’

However, when Terri broached the subject with her boss he was harder to convince. ‘I think if I hadn’t spoken to my doctor about it he wouldn’t have listened at all. His attitude was we all feel a bit down in the winter, there’s no need to make anything of it.’ But armed with suggestions about lighting, taking a walk at lunchtime and rearranging her main holiday from summer to winter Terri persevered. ‘That was two years ago and making these small changes has made a huge difference. It’s really noticeable at work. I’m a much easier person to be around now. Even my sceptical boss has come round to believing there’s something in it.’

Next page: symptoms and cures

What’s it all about?
SAD was first recognised by American psychiatrist Dr Norman Rosenthal 20 years ago. Studies have shown that women are more frequently affected than men. Unlike other forms of depression it’s purely seasonal and includes any combination of the following symptoms:

• Feeling inexplicably sad
• Finding it difficult to wake up in the morning
• Overeating – especially foods high in carbohydrates
• Weight gain
• Irritability
• Having trouble concentrating
• Feeling tired and lacking energy
• Losing your enjoyment of things that are normally fun
• Not wanting to socialise

All of these can affect your performance and relationships at work for no apparent reason. Being able to pinpoint the cause of any problem is the first step to making things better. Many who suffer from SAD don’t even know it exists and just put up with feeling off colour.

What you can do
If you’ve had the above symptoms for two or more winters but feel completely different during the summer it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about it and investigate the treatments available. These include light therapy. Researchers believe light has a biological effect on brain hormones and function. Dr Rosenthal also suggested some lifestyle changes that can help reduce the impact of miserable winters.

• Increase the amount of light in your home. Add lamps or skylights. Trim tree branches that block sunlight.
• Take a walk outdoors on sunny days.
• Treat yourself to a winter holiday in a sunny place.
• Exercise regularly.
• Try sleeping less and eating fewer carbohydrates.

Further information and advice on SAD and possible treatments are available from Cambridge-based Outside In, a company specialising in using light therapy for treating body-clock problems.