Are you experiencing sudden mood swings and sadness since winter started? Do you feel a hard time getting out of bed and continuing your daily chores without feeling lethargic? If you’re feeling any of the following symptoms, chances are, you’re experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In this disorder, a person becomes very sad and depressed due to not being exposed to a particular environment. The treatment for this kind of disorder is light therapy, which is known as a treatment that makes you sit in front of artificial light to ease you. Due to the unfavorable weather conditions, you do not experience good thoughts. With the help of light therapy, you will feel lighter, happier, and more energy towards life. Light therapy is not something that should mainly be prescribed by a doctor. Any person who feels unease due to different climatic changes can buy a lamp that emits ultraviolet light. Here are four health benefits of light therapy for those who really need it.
1. Better regulated sleep :
The main sign of SAD is the inability to sleep regulated with proper timings. When people are depressed, they often become insomniacs or loses the importance of sleep. While some sleep a little too much to avoid dealing with their depression, it is highly unhealthy either way. Having a proper sound sleep within a range of 6-8 hours is essential for every human being to function correctly. Anyone who sleeps less or more than that would be overwhelming their body and make themselves more into depression. Using light therapy would help you to relax, which is quite essential for having good regulated sleep. The lamp used in this therapy helps maintain a level of melatonin, which aids sleep well.
2. Increased productivity :
When we are depressed or sad, we often neglect our daily tasks, often we disregard our work which is crucial for having a stable life. The urge of unproductivity rises due to not focusing on stuff because of increased depression. Light therapy lamps will emit such rays, which will also contain serotonin, essential for focusing and hardworking. When you have tried using the lamp, you will feel a difference in your inner self. This difference spikes up the productivity of your life. A focused and productive lifestyle makes a person become the best version of themselves even if the circumstances are not in their favor.
3. Improved memory :
When we are sad and depressed, we often experience a loss of serotonin in our brain, which causes memory loss. A particular study was done by John Hopkins, which shows a sudden decline in patients of Alzheimer’s due to loss of serotonin. This loss of essential elements makes a person weak from the brain and often declines memory retention. Using light therapy increases the chance of having a reduced level of memory loss because of the generation of serotonin levels in the human brain. Memory is as vital for survival as anything else. Without a good memory, people are at a higher risk of hanging in depression forever. Loss of memory also makes a person become someone they never were, and they lose relationships with many people.
4. Improved mental health :
The primary reason for using light therapy is to have stable and healthy mental health, which you either wise can’t have due to SAD. This disorder is so unexpected, and a lot of times, people cannot recognize if they are depressed or just not feeling the mood. It is hard to detect the changes in yourself, especially when you’re in a depression. Using light therapy helps to extend mental health on a vast level. It helps to generate such serotonin levels, which is essential for the healthy growth of the brain. Most of the 40 million cells in the brain are affected by serotonin levels. Although there is a lot more research needed for dementia patients, it can still be said that light therapy is very beneficial. Especially if someone wants to improve their mental health.
Until Next Time,
Team Doctor ASKY!