How Depression Affects Seniors in Winter
How Depression Affects Seniors in Winter
The cold winter months are depressing enough without adding COVID-19 on top of it. Many seniors experience symptoms of depression because activities are limited and sunshine is reduced during the winter months. Throw the COVID pandemic on top of that, and the risk of depression increases.
What is SAD?
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is an actual condition and sometimes requires professional help. What causes SAD is not being exposed to enough sunlight during the winter. The person is affected because the average time spent outdoors is limited either by the weather itself, illness, or reduced mobility.
A person's body is affected by the exposure when the sun rises and sets. SAD occurs when earlier sunsets happen as well as the inclement winter weather. A person's brain chemistry changes when the days are shorter and affects the amount of melatonin and serotonin levels released. The changes in these levels can cause the symptoms of depression.
Seasonal Affective Disorder usually shows up in the late fall or early winter. It usually disappears in the spring and summer when more sunshine occurs.
The Symptoms of SAD
There are recognizable signs of SAD. The symptoms usually start out mild and then become increasingly more severe as winter progresses. The symptoms of SAD are:
- If the person is feeling sluggish and has low energy
- If there is a loss of interest in hobbies that they once loved to do
- If increased agitation or irritability is noticed
- If the person is having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much or at odd times
- If the person is having difficulty concentrating
- If the person wants to be alone all the time or is becoming increasingly antisocial.
- If there is an increase in weight or appetite
- If the person mentions they feel hopeless or worthless
- If the thought of suicide or death is mentioned frequently
Ways to Manage and Prevent SAD
There are ways to not only manage SAD but to prevent it as well. Know the risk factors of what causes the disease. SAD is less common in men than in women. A person who has depression or a family history of depression may be more susceptible. It has been shown that people who experience SAD usually have low levels of Vitamin D.
One way to manage SAD is to get more exposure to natural light that’s available. Open the blinds and curtains so more sunlight can flood the rooms. Try to spend the majority of time in the room with the most sunlight. Go outside in the fresh air every day, even if it's just going out onto the porch or yard for even 10 minutes.
Purchase a light therapy lamp if going outside is impossible. Sitting in front of a light therapy lamp for a certain amount of time every day can reduce SAD symptoms. Always check with a doctor first, though, because specific health problems can be aggravated with a light therapy lamp.
Begin some type of regular exercise activity to reduce anxiety and stress. Physical activity will help to improve the quality of sleep because it tires the body. It will also help to reduce the symptoms of SAD.
Talk to the doctor about your symptoms and have them give you a diagnose. The doctor can pin down the cause of the signs and provide recommendations of what needs to be done to combat it. Suggestions could be lifestyle changes, medications, therapy, counseling, or light therapy.
With the restrictions of COVID-19 of avoiding close contact with people, traveling, and the everyday things that make up life, SAD may be more prevalent than ever in seniors. Talk to a doctor if any of the above symptoms show up so treatment can be made available.
If assistance is needed, we here at Right at Home are only a phone call away.
