Autumn had been slow to arrive, due to the high temperatures felt in the first days of April. However, the first clouds have already begun to appear and there are even some signs of rain in some areas of the country.
But does this season affect our mood? Alda Reyes, teacher at the IACC School of Social Development and Education, explains that without a doubt “sunlight influences our emotional state, it makes us have more energy and, on the contrary, the smaller amount of light makes us a little more dull.” . The decrease in daylight hours affects the secretion of melatonin and serotonin, hormones that are essential for regulating both sleep and mood.”
“In any case, this does not affect everyone equally, there are those who react differently and may be more active, but in general during this time we are more melancholic and want to stay at home more,” he points out.
The teacher believes that “it is always important to listen to our body and attend to our needs in case this sadness is much greater than normal, in that case it is good to seek support from our environment or a specialist.”
“It is key to pay attention to emotional health, not just physical health, and in these days when we have less sunlight, it is good that we all pay attention to the changes we have in the face of external stimuli,” he details, regarding all when the institution has incorporated the concept of emotional education as part of the curriculum at the School of Social Development.
This aims to take care of the mental health and well-being of all levels involved in the educational process, to function in an environment of respect, solidarity, empathy and healthy.
Symptom detection
Danilo Quiroz, director of the training program for adult psychiatrists at the Diego Portales University and Past President of the Chilean Society of Bipolar Disorders, explains that the characteristics of seasonal depression do not differ from those of other types of depression.
That is why he emphasizes that it is important to detect symptoms such as sadness, decreased ability to enjoy things, sleep and appetite disturbances, cognitive complaints, physical slowness or agitation, and negative or suicidal thoughts in time.
“Many people experience a decrease in energy levels, increased appetite and sleep as winter arrives, but this alone does not constitute seasonal depression. For it to be considered depression, it is necessary to have central symptoms such as discouragement and/or less ability to enjoy things,” says the specialist.
The specialist adds that there are some chronotherapeutic interventions that can be useful:
“Traditional” phototherapy: It consists of administering light of a much greater intensity than the ambient light, which is achieved with certain lamps that reach a luminosity of 10 thousand lux (a measure of luminosity, which is 10 times greater than that of a room with natural daylight in winter).
This is applied during the period of greatest risk, that is, autumn and winter, for periods of half an hour daily, usually. Administered in this way, it has an antidepressant effect, but it also presents some risks, such as producing “switches” or mood changes in people with bipolar disorder, so it is important to be attentive to these cases.
Sunrise simulation lamps: They are particularly useful in countries where the time of sunrise changes a lot at different times of the year, as occurs in the central and southern areas of Chile. They act like an alarm clock, which some time before ringing, emits a soft light that increases in intensity, simulating dawn, so that when you wake up, the room is partially illuminated.
This is especially useful for people who find it harder to wake up in winter and feel more sleepy and tired when they get up. An antidepressant effect has also been observed, although the research is less abundant than with traditional phototherapy.
