Light

Some people tend to be more prone to bad moods in the winter months and suffer from the generally darker days and the mostly modest weather. This can lead to the development of depressions, so-called seasonal or winter depressions. It is important for affected persons to get enough daylight and go out into the fresh air despite the restrictive weather. There should also be enough light in the living rooms to create a brighter environment overall. Artificial light lamps that simulate daylight or sunlight can replace the lack of natural sunlight over the winter months when they are exposed for several hours and prevent the development of seasonal depression.

Preventing winter depression

Preventing depression is possible in some, but by no means all, cases. The causes of depression are multifactorial, and genetic predisposition also plays a significant role. Therefore, in most forms of depression there is no easily applicable strategy to prevent the development of depression.

However, especially in the case of winter depression, also known as seasonal depression, there are possibilities for prevention. This is related to the fact that, according to current studies, winter depression is caused in particular by a lack of daylight. A lack of vitamin D has also been described as one of the causes of winter depression.

The most important measure to prevent seasonal depression is to regularly expose oneself to sufficient amounts of daylight. Unfortunately, this is not always easy for working people or people who cannot leave the house. Therefore, there are special daylight lamps that are used for light therapy in the treatment of depression.

These lamps can nowadays be bought at a relatively affordable price in online shops for personal use at home. It is important to have a sufficient lux number (light intensity) and that the devices have a UV filter. The more often the daylight lamp is used, the better.

With a light intensity of 10,000 lux, the lamp should be used for 20-30 minutes at a distance of about 60 cm. It is important that the application is carried out in the morning hours, shortly after getting up, if possible, in order to stimulate the body’s own day-night rhythm and not to bring it out of rhythm. The application can take place daily or several times a week.

A daylight lamp is usually only necessary in the dark winter months, otherwise the daylight is sufficient. For people who are prone to winter depression, it can also be helpful to check the level of vitamin D in the blood. There are studies that indicate that patients with winter depression have low vitamin D levels above average.

If the level is too low, regular vitamin D preparations from a pharmacy or drugstore (available over the counter) can be taken as a preventive measure. Light therapy is a sensible measure for the prevention of depression in patients who are prone to winter depression. Taking vitamin D when blood levels are low can also be successful as a preventive measure. However, neither of these measures can prevent the occurrence of depression with absolute certainty.