Since the beginning of November, sunny days have been rare in Prince Edward Island. According to data from the Charlottetown Airport, no sunny days were recorded between Sunday November 10 and Thursday November 28.
November was reported to be warmer and slightly wetter than normal, mainly due to heavy cloud cover that rarely left the province.
“On the dark days it was really difficult. It affected my mood, especially, because of the bad weather and the rain, I could hardly go out, testifies islander Jane Pehlivan. I hope it works out.”
The lack of light in autumn and winter actually has an impact on the brain and the biological clock. It’s called seasonal affective disorder, a milder form of depression, which usually goes away when spring arrives.
“Lack of light decreases the production of serotonin in our brain. This small molecule is involved in both the regulation of sleep and mood,” explains the co-director of the Thematic Research Center in Neuroscience at Laval University in Quebec, Marc Hébert.
Benefits of snow
“The higher the level of serotonin, the more our mood improves, the lower the level, the more depressed we can be,” adds the scientist.
According to him, almost half of the Canadian population suffers the repercussions of low light: “In 3% of them, the symptoms are severe, in the others, it remains mild.”
The disorder is characterized by a deficit of energy, even increased fatigue and increased sleep time, difficulty concentrating, slowing down in doing things, and an increased appetite, particularly for sugar.
Light also resets the biological clock. It sends messages to the brain, which then measures the external light intensity.
In sensitive subjects, the drop in autumn and winter light triggers a disruption of the internal clock and disrupts the secretion of serotonin and melatonin (hormone which makes you want to sleep).
“If we don’t get enough light in the morning, our rhythm shifts and we go to bed later, we have more difficulty getting up and it ends in seasonal depression,” says Marc Hébert.
Numerous animal and human studies confirm that morning light is essential for effectively synchronizing biological clocks.
According to Marc Hébert, the snow that should arrive soon will change the situation: “White reflects light and brightens our environment a lot, that will help.”
Benefits of white light when waking up
In the meantime, the specialist recommends light therapy to treat forms of seasonal depression. The diffusion of white light is “very effective in resynchronizing the internal clock,” he assures.
The researcher recommends exposing yourself for thirty minutes a day, preferably in the morning, to a screen diffusing white light (LEDs for the most recent devices), at an intensity between 5,000 and 10,000 lux.
“We can also use it in children, but for a shorter time, only 15 minutes,” he explains.
In Charlottetown, Jane Pehlivan invested in purchasing a light therapy device last year: “I use it in the morning at breakfast and it really makes a difference, it feels good to start the day.”
Marc Hébert, for his part, recalls the importance of also practicing regular sporting activity, the best of “antidepressants”.
Health
