November 1, 2021, Jennie Johnson, RN-BC, PhD

Living for a Healthy Heart, LLC

On November 7th., we will once again reset our clocks for Daylight Savings Time. As the saying goes, we should…spring forward…fall back. It will get darker one hour earlier. In northern Idaho the darkest days will begin at 3:45 pm. We seem to cope with the darkness better during the holidays but immediately after New Year’s Eve, the Winter Blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) often sets in.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or the Winter Blues?

Merriam-Webster defines seasonal affective disorder as depression that tends to recur chiefly during the late fall and is associated with shorter hours of daylight. The main cause is lower levels of the feel good hormone serotonin in the brain. You may be born with a body that doesn’t make enough or doesn’t allow it to circulate long enough in the brain to get the mood elevation benefit.

What are the Symptoms of Low Levels of Serotonin?

Common symptoms are fatigue, sleep problems, loss of libido, anxiety, irritability, and inability to cope with stress. Panic attacks, obsessive compulsive behaviors, increased sensitivity to pain and migraines may also occur. Cravings for carbohydrates and sugar lead to harmful binge eating to lift serotonin levels but work only briefly with devastating consequences. The excess weight leads to poor self-esteem and depression increasing social isolation.

How Does Light Therapy Reduce the Symptoms?

A phenomenal book that I highly recommend for people who suffer from SAD is Brown and Robinson’s When your Body Gets the Blues: The Clinically Proven Program for Women Who Feel Tired, Stressed and Eat too Much. While its written primarily for women, men will find the concepts helpful as well.

The authors recommend 20 minutes of being outdoors 5 days per week… no matter rain, sleet snow or sun to increase light entering the retina of the eyes. However, you should NOT look directly into the sun as that will tremendously damage the eyes but rather let the light filter in as you’re walking.

Simply put, the light stimulates the brain to produce more serotonin which will help you feel better. They also suggest increasing interior light as much as possible by placing furniture near windows, opening curtains, turning on lights and trimming bushes that block windows.

As an example, while outside on a bright sunny day, you may get 10,000 units of LUX light. However, a dim inside room may provide only 50 units of LUX light, while a bright office may provide 400 LUX. Some people may need to utilize artificial light to improve serotonin levels.

The authors describe the various types of artificial light available and how to use them safely. Do some homework and check with your healthcare provider. Select artificial light with the lowest ultraviolet light (UV) as possible to avoid harmful skin damage. If you suffer from a Manic disorder, the excess light could make your condition worse so do speak with your doctor.

I asked my Social Ministry Committee members how they dealt with Idaho’s dark winters. Answers included: traveling to sunny places, volunteering in a local school to be around children, starting a new hobby of painting, and keeping busy with church needs.

Personally, as the darkness lingers in our rural setting, I begin to get sleepy around 7 or 8 pm so I’ve had to come up with strategies to stay awake until bedtime. Each year I do something different such as needle work, sewing, writing a book or simply catching up on interesting television programs.

You can also speak with your healthcare provider about medications that may help you get through it. Brown and Robinson recommend vitamin therapy to enhance serotonin levels as well. If you suffer from the Winter Blues…try something new this year, keep busy and seek people out even if you don’t feel like it. You will feel better and the dark days will seem shorter as you look forward to spring.

Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life (John 8:12) 

Sources:

Brown, Marie-Anette & Jo Robinson, When your Body Gets the Blues: The Clinically Proven Program for Women Who Feel Tired, Stressed and Eat Too Much. Danvers: Rodale Books, 2002.

“Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD),” Mayo Clinic, October 25, 2017, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20364651 

Dee Dee Stiepen, “Lift your Mood with Light Therapy,” Mayo Clinic Minute, January 1, 2021, https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-lift-your-mood-with-light-therapy/

“Light Therapy,” Mayo Clinic, February 8, 2017, https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/light-therapy/about/pac-20384604

If you found this blog helpful, please pass it on…

If you are a new reader, you may visit my website to sign up for future monthly blogs at jenniejohnsonrn.com

I’m a Christian nurse who helps people navigate the murky waters of healthcare.

ã All rights reserved 2021, Jennie E. Johnson, RN-BC, PhD

October 1, 2021, Jennie Johnson, RN-BC, PhD

Living for a Healthy Heart, LLC

Vitamin D Research

Research is emerging that Vitamin D otherwise known as the Sunshine Vitamin may be a powerful protector against the coronavirus or COVID-19 disease. A research study conducted in Israel indicated that low levels of Vitamin D resulted in more positive COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations.

They looked back at the records of 1,400 patients who tested positive for COVID between February and April of 2020 and had a Vitamin D blood test in their medical record.

Results:

• Only 10% tested positive for COVID-19 when their Vitamin D levels were above 30.
• Nearly 90% of those who tested positive for COVID had Vitamin D levels below 30.
• Adults (average age above 50) who tested positive for COVID-19, with low Vitamin D levels, were also more likely to be hospitalized.

It appeared that higher Vitamin D levels were protective. Research is also emerging that Vitamin D may help prevent heart disease, improve blood pressure control, diabetes control, decrease cancer risk and a host of other conditions. Anecdotally, I’ve heard doctors say that it may not be a Cold/Flu Season but rather a Low Vitamin D Season that drives fall and winter illnesses.

The Connection Between the Sun and Vitamin D

Ultraviolet rays hit the skin, converting a protein into Vitamin D3 which is absorbed into the blood. However, dermatologist, Dr. Anne McNeill in an article for the Skin Cancer Foundation, Sun Protection and Vitamin D cautions people to be careful. DNA damage increases risk for skin cancer after 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure (without sunscreen).

She advised people to wear sunscreen daily and stated “Research has never found that everyday use of sunscreen leads to Vitamin D deficiency. In fact, people who use sunscreen daily can maintain their Vitamin D levels.”

Dr. McNeil encourages people to ask their healthcare provider to measure Vitamin D levels and follow the following guidelines:

<30                              Deficient                          Talk to your doctor about a supplement.

30 to 50                     Generally Inadequate     For bone and general health.

>50                              Adequate                          More is not necessarily better.

>125 and above:       Too high                            May have adverse effects.

Your doctor may have specific concerns about the appropriate level of Vitamin D for you, based on your medical condition. Please speak with your healthcare provider regarding how much Vitamin D3 you may need.

Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security (Jeremiah 33:6).

If you found this blog helpful, please pass it on…

If you are a new reader, you may visit my website to sign up for future monthly blogs at jenniejohnsonrn.com

I’m a Christian nurse who helps people navigate the murky waters of healthcare.

ã All rights reserved 2021, Jennie E. Johnson, RN-BC, PhD