SAD has been linked to a biochemical imbalance in the brain prompted by shorter daylight hours and less sunlight in winter. As seasons change, people experience a shift in their biological internal clock or circadian rhythm that can cause them to be out of step with their daily schedule.

In people with SAD, lack of sunlight and a problem with certain chemicals in the brain prevents the hypothalamus working properly. The lack of light is thought to: affect the production of the hormone melatonin. affect the production of the hormone serotonin.

It tends to start in young adulthood. SAD affects women more than men, though researchers aren’t sure why. About 75% of people who get seasonal affective disorder are women. About 10% to 20% of people in America may get a milder form of the winter blues.

In some cases, these mood changes are more serious and can affect how a person feels, thinks, and handles daily activities. If you have noticed significant changes in your mood and behavior whenever the seasons change, you may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at the same time each year. Although it can occur in spring or summer, it typically begins in late fall and lasts through the end of winter.

Light therapy is thought to affect brain chemicals linked to mood and sleep, easing SAD symptoms. Using a light therapy box may also help with other types of depression, sleep disorders and other conditions. Light therapy is also known as bright light therapy or phototherapy.

Symptoms of SAD can include:

• a persistent low mood.
• a loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities.
• irritability.
• feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness.
• feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day.
• sleeping for longer than normal and finding it hard to get up in the morning.

How is SAD treated?

• Exposure to sunlight. Spending time outside or near a window can help relieve symptoms.
• Light therapy. If increasing sunlight is not possible, exposure to a special light for a specific amount of time each day may help.
• Psychotherapy.
• Antidepressants.

For example, your doctor may do a blood test called a complete blood count (CBC) or test your thyroid to make sure it’s functioning properly. Psychological evaluation. To check for signs of depression, your doctor or mental health professional asks about your symptoms, thoughts, feelings and behavior patterns.

Winter depression is still a mystery to scientists who study it. But researchers agree that people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder are particularly sensitive to light, or the lack of it.

1. 7 Scientifically Proven (and Affordable) Ways to Fight SAD and Cure Your Winter Blues.
2. Decide if you have mild winter blues or full-blown SAD.
3. Get as much indoor daylight as you can.
4. Get outside as much as you can.
5. Get regular exercise.
6. Use a light box or dawn simulator.
7. Take vitamin D.
8. Have a sunny getaway.

Low levels of vitamin D, caused by low dietary intake of the vitamin or not enough exposure to sunshine, have been found in people with SAD. However, it’s unclear whether vitamin D supplementation can help to relieve SAD symptoms. Very little research has been done on dietary supplements other than vitamin D for SAD.

B12 Causes Psychiatric Symptoms: B12 deficiency can cause almost any psychiatric symptom, from anxiety, and panic to depression and hallucinations. This is because B12 deficiencies trigger symptoms in the nervous system and red blood cells.

People with vitamin B12 deficiency are likely to experience a wide range of symptoms, though weight gain is unlikely one of them. If you’re experiencing unexplained weight gain, consider discussing it with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian to determine the root cause.

Weakness and fatigue are common symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. They occur because your body doesn’t have enough vitamin B12 to make red blood cells, which transport oxygen throughout your body. As a result, you are unable to efficiently transport oxygen to your body’s cells, making you feel tired and weak.

Recovery from vitamin B12 deficiency takes time and you may not experience any improvement during the first few months of treatment. Improvement may be gradual and may continue for up to six to 12 months.

You can get vitamin B12 deficiency anemia if you don’t get enough vitamin B12 in your diet from foods like milk, eggs, and meat. You’re more likely to be low in this vitamin if you’re older, or you eat a vegetarian diet. It can also happen if your body can’t absorb enough of it from the foods you eat.

If left untreated, the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency tend to worsen and irreversible problems involving the nerves and brain may develop. The risk of experiencing a number of serious complications, including heart failure, may also increase.

Disturbed or blurred vision can also occur as a result of a Vitamin B12 deficiency. This happens when the deficiency causes damage to the optic nerve that leads to your eyes. The nervous signal that travels from the eye to the brain is disturbed due to this damage, leading to impaired vision.

You may need to take vitamin B-12 separately from the above drugs and supplements — say, one in the morning and one at night — so you can get the full dose of vitamin B-12. Don’t take vitamin B-12 supplements if you have sensitivities or allergies to vitamin B-12, cobalt, and any other ingredients.

How can you prevent it? Most people who eat animal products like milk, cheese, and eggs will not get this B12 deficiency anemia. People who follow a vegan diet can prevent it by taking a daily vitamin pill or by eating foods that have been fortified with B12.

The body may absorb cyanocobalamin better, while methylcobalamin has a higher retention rate. Both can prevent B12 deficiency, but methylcobalamin should be combined with adenosylcobalamin for best results.

Vitamin B12 is naturally present in foods of animal origin, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products [5]. In addition, fortified breakfast cereals and fortified nutritional yeasts are readily available sources of vitamin B12 that have high bioavailability [12,13].