{"id":124909,"date":"2024-11-12T08:46:56","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T01:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=124909"},"modified":"2024-11-12T08:46:56","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T01:46:56","slug":"how-to-keep-from-feeling-down-in-the-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=124909","title":{"rendered":"How to Keep from Feeling Down in the Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>From VOA Learning English, this is the <em>Health &amp; Lifestyle<\/em> report.<\/p>\n<p>As fall and winter come to some parts of the world, daylight hours grow shorter. This lack of light can cause seasonal depression.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt (is) a feeling of <strong>panic<\/strong>, fear, <strong>anxiety<\/strong> and <strong>dread<\/strong> all in one,\u201d said Germaine Pataki. The 63-year-old woman living in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, is among the millions of people estimated to have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.<\/p>\n<p>To deal with her condition, Pataki uses yoga, walking, and an antidepressant medication. She is also part of a Facebook group for people with SAD and helps others deal with the condition. Pataki said, \u201cThis gives me purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>People with SAD usually have depression that begins in the fall and eases in the spring or summer. Changing the clocks back to standard time, which happens in autumn in the United States, can also cause SAD to start.<\/p>\n<p>Medical experts say there is a milder form, called subsyndromal SAD. There is also summer seasonal depression but less is known about that.<\/p>\n<p>In 1984, a team led by Dr. Norman Rosenthal, then a researcher at the National Institutes of Health, first described SAD. He invented the term.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What causes seasonal affective disorder?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Scientists are still learning the causes of seasonal affective disorder. They have found that specialized cells in our eyes turn the blue wavelength of the light into neural, or brain signals. These signals affect <strong>mood<\/strong> and wakefulness, or <strong>alertness<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Sunlight has a lot of blue light. So, when the cells sense this blue light, the alertness centers of our brains turn on. We feel more alert and possibly even happier.<\/p>\n<p>Kathryn Roecklein is a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. She tested people with and without SAD to see how their eyes reacted to blue light. As a group, people with SAD were less sensitive to blue light than others, especially during winter months. That suggests a cause for wintertime depression.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the winter, when the light levels drop, that, combined with a lower sensitivity, might be too low for healthy <strong>functioning<\/strong>, leading to depression,\u201d Roecklein said.<\/p>\n<p>Miriam Cherry is 50 years old and lives in New York state. She spent the summer planning how she would deal with her winter depression. \u201cIt\u2019s like clockwork,\u201d Cherry said. \u201cThe sunlight is low. The day ends at 4:45, and suddenly my mood is <strong>horrible<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wsw__embed\">\n<figure class=\"media-image js-media-expand\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n<div class=\"thumb\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Miriam Cherry poses for a photo in her home where she uses a light therapy device to treat seasonal affective disorder, in Larchmont, New York, on Sept. 4, 2024. (Miriam Cherry via AP)\" src=\"https:\/\/gdb.voanews.com\/b07a6c33-3f75-4a58-aa63-455a490d33a8_w250_r0_s.jpg\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"ico ico-fullscreen ico--media-expand ico--rounded\"\/>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<span class=\"caption\">Miriam Cherry poses for a photo in her home where she uses a light therapy device to treat seasonal affective disorder, in Larchmont, New York, on Sept. 4, 2024. (Miriam Cherry via AP)<\/span><br \/>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Light therapy can help<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Many people with SAD respond to light <strong>therapy<\/strong>, said Dr. Paul Desan of Yale University\u2019s Winter Depression Research Clinic. The therapy devices give off light about 20 times brighter than regular indoor light.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe first thing to try is light,\u201d Desan said. \u201cWhen we get patients on <strong>exposure <\/strong>to bright light for a half an hour or so every morning, the majority of patients get <strong>dramatically<\/strong> better. We don\u2019t even need medications.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There is research that supports the idea that using a light that has a brightness of about 10,000 lux can be helpful. Lux is a measurement of brightness.<\/p>\n<p>The research suggests that a person use it for 30 minutes every morning. Desan said this can help not only people with SAD but also those with less-severe, low moods in winter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What else might work?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Experts suggest other forms of treatment. Doctors often suggest antidepressant medications as a first-line treatment for SAD. They also suggest going to bed and waking up at about the same time each day. Also, exercise such as walking outside, even on cloudy days, can help.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly Rohan is a researcher at the University of Vermont. Rohan said another treatment is talk therapy. Also called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, Rohan said it has been shown in studies to have more long-lasting effects. CBT involves working with a therapist to identify and change unhelpful thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA very common thought that people have is \u2018I hate winter,\u2019\u201d Rohan said. She suggests that people instead say, \u201cI <strong>prefer<\/strong> summer to winter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Working with a therapist can help people take small steps toward having fun again, Rohan said. Try planning undemanding but enjoyable activities to break out of a bad mood. Rohan said simply meeting a friend for coffee can help.<\/p>\n<p>People with SAD have half the year to create helpful methods. Some have found things that work for them &#8212; although they might not be the subject of scientific research.<\/p>\n<p>For example, in Folsom, California, Elizabeth Wescott says she believes a kind of water therapy helps her. The 69-year-old uses water therapy used in sports medicine. When she showers, she changes between hot and cold water. She also uses a light box and takes an antidepressant. \u201cI\u2019m always looking for new tools,\u201d Wescott said.<\/p>\n<p>In New York, Miriam Cherry grows the earliest <strong>blooming<\/strong> flowers. They bloom as early as February.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s going to be a sign to me that this isn\u2019t going to last forever,\u201d Cherry said. \u201cIt will get better, and spring is on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s the <em>Health &amp; Lifestyle<\/em> report.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m Anna Matteo.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019m Andrew Smith.<\/p>\n<p><em>Carla Johnson reported this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. <\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"wsw__embed\">\n<div id=\"quizId7855856\" class=\"quiz quiz--embedded\">\n<h2>Quiz &#8211; How to Keep from Feeling Down in the Winter<\/h2>\n<div class=\"quiz__body quiz__body--flex quiz__body--embedded\">\n<div class=\"quiz__main-img\">\n<figure class=\"media-image js-media-expand\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n<div class=\"thumb\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gdb.voanews.com\/f6571a8a-480b-4d03-8e79-65eeaf6db795_w250_r1.jpg\" alt=\"Quiz - How to Keep from Feeling Down in the Winter\"\/><br \/>\n<span class=\"ico ico-fullscreen ico--media-expand ico--rounded hidden\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quiz__intro m-t-md ta-c\">\n<h4 class=\"fs-xl\">Start the Quiz to find out<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>__________________________________________<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wsw__h2\">Words in This Story<\/h2>\n<p><strong>panic <\/strong><em>\u2013n. <\/em>a sudden overpowering fright<\/p>\n<p><strong>anxiety <\/strong><em>\u2013n.<\/em> a state of extreme nervousness and worry<\/p>\n<p><strong>dread <\/strong><em>\u2013n.<\/em> fear of something that might happen<\/p>\n<p><strong>mood <\/strong><em>\u2013n.<\/em> the way a person feels; a person\u2019s emotional state<\/p>\n<p><strong>alertness <\/strong><em>\u2013n.<\/em> the ability to sense things happening around you<\/p>\n<p><strong>horrible <\/strong><em>\u2013adj.<\/em> terrible or causing fear<\/p>\n<p><strong>therapy <\/strong><em>\u2013n. <\/em>treatment of an abnormal state of the mind or body<\/p>\n<p><strong>exposure <\/strong><em>\u2013n.<\/em> the condition of sensing something or coming into contact with somethings<\/p>\n<p><strong>dramatically <\/strong><em>\u2013adv.<\/em> a lot or to a notable degree<\/p>\n<p><strong>prefer <\/strong><em>\u2013v. <\/em>to like better or best<\/p>\n<p><strong>bloom <\/strong><em>\u2013v. <\/em>to produce flowers<\/p>\n<p><em>We want to hear from you. What are your thoughts on this topic? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. Our comment policy is <\/em><a class=\"wsw__a\" href=\"https:\/\/learningenglish.voanews.com\/p\/5378.html\"><em>here<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/learningenglish.voanews.com\/a\/how-to-keep-from-feeling-down-in-the-winter\/7854053.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From VOA Learning English, this is the Health &amp; Lifestyle report. As fall and winter come to some parts of the world, daylight hours grow shorter. This lack of light &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=124909\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=124909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124909\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=124909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=124909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=124909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}