Sleep is such an essential part of life.  Most of us feel we do not get enough sleep.  Work, school and other responsibilities have us waking up earlier than we would like, and feeling tired throughout the day.  Sometimes in rare cases, people get a little too much sleep – like college students on the weekends.  Most of us have a regular cycle of sleep, a pattern that we live by that helps us feel normal and energetic.  For some people, however, normal cycles of sleep are a luxury they can’t acquire.
 
Sleeping disorders are caused by disruptions in the cycles of sleep.  The body is equipped with a kind of internal clock, often called the biological clock.  Hormones and other chemicals inside of us work together to tell us when we are tired and when we are awake.  Called circadian rhythms, these sleep indicators work in patterns and occur regularly.  Light also plays an essential role.  Light helps trigger feelings of sleepiness and alertness. 

People who suffer from sleeping disorders have problems with their circadian rhythm.  Their pattern is off.  Light therapy can help them.  Light therapy works simply by simulating light.  Patients usually sit in front of a light box that emits high intensity light for a short period of time, around 30 minutes a day.  The light works in correcting problems with circadian rhythm and making regular patterns of sleep. 

Seasonal Affective Disorder patients often feel desperate for help.  There symptoms are often overwhelming and the depression and symptoms brought on by SAD can push anyone to the edge.  Light therapy is a common solution to this problem.  Light therapy is a preferred and recommended treatment for anyone suffering from SAD. 

If you suffer from SAD, you have probably heard about, or even experimented with light therapy.  Many who try the treatment report amazing results and incredible improvements in quality of life and symptoms.  If you have never tried light therapy, you may be skeptical.  I mean, how can light seriously improve how you feel right?  The answer may surprise you. 

Light is actually at the core of the problem.  It is actually lack of light exposure that causes Seasonal Affective Disorder.  When the winter months hit, the sun goes away and the SAD symptoms come in.  Inside the body is a hormone known as melatonin.  Melatonin works with the body in several capacities including sleep patterns, immune system and much more.  Lack of sun equals more melatonin production, which means SAD.  Light therapy fixes that.  Light therapy projects florescent, intense light for a period of time to reverse this process and help you feel better.  Just 30 minutes a day with the light box can help.  Usually, patients sit in front of the light box after waking up for best results. 

If you have Seasonal Affective Disorder, you may feel like your whole world is in disarray.  Depression is very difficult to deal with, and you may feel like you can hardly cope each and every winter.  In spite of the fact that they’re shorter, the days seem longer and longer and your energy littler and littler.  With each passing day, as the temperature soars downward, you can feel as if your mood is taking a perilous plunge.  You can feel extremely lethargic, only wanting to sleep.  You can lack the energy to do anything and only have the desire to avoid people at all costs.  SAD is a difficult disorder that affects many just like you who deal with shorter days, and little sunlight.  There are effective treatments to help you feel better and enjoy your life, even if the weather doesn’t want you to. 

One of the main treatments for SAD is light therapy.  Light therapy is a suitable treatment for you if you have learned about it and request treatment from your doctor.  It is also good if you have never experienced adverse reactions from light therapy before.  A doctor can also prescribe light therapy as a suitable and needed treatment for your SAD symptoms. 

Light therapy is usually conducted with a light box or SAD lamp.  The lamp projects artificial light and helps patients receive light and its benefits even in the dark, winter months. 

How do you know if you have Seasonal Affective Disorder?  It’s cold, you feel tired, and you feel irritable, so you must have SAD right?  Be careful, diagnosing SAD may not be that easy. 

Sure, SAD carries symptoms of lethargy, lack of energy and increased need for sleep.  You feel increased desires for carbohydrates and an increased appetite in general.  You want to sleep all the time and you even want to avoid people and be alone.  You feel depressed and sad all throughout the gloomy winter.  There’s a whole host of symptoms associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder and many of these symptoms signal SAD.  There are, in addition, a few scientific reasons and causes for SAD. 

Lack of light triggers SAD.  Light is necessary for the body to function.  Light helps us move along and provides energy and other vital necessities.  Light also aids in the production of Melatonin.  Melatonin is a hormone that works with light.  When it becomes dark, Melatonin works on the body to tell it to sleep.  Melatonin is even involved with the immune system, stress response and the body’s temperatures.  When SAD kicks in, Melatonin doesn’t work as well and many of the body’s normal functions perform at a much slower rate.  Doctors can check levels of Melatonin to determine if someone has SAD.  Also, low levels of the neurotransmitter, serotonin, indicate SAD.