SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Short winter days can take their toll on even the hardiest of Yellowknifers and that's because the drastically varying light levels both in summer and winter months can play havoc on a person's brain chemistry.

A therapeutic lamp and Vitamin D can help fight the sadness associated with lost hours of daylight in the winter, in severe cases known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. - Candace Thomson/NNSL photo

Dr. Kami Kandola, chief deputy public health officer for the NWT, says shorter days in the winter and longer days in the summer change the balance of chemicals in the brain and can trigger depression, such as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or aptly named SAD.

"One of the things they feel about SAD is that there are chemical messages in the brain that work on the mood and appetite which get unregulated because of shorter light exposure," Kandola said.

"People have to understand in the summer when you have too much light, even getting too much light, can make you at risk for summer depression as well. The symptoms will be different but you will have insomnia, and you might not want to eat."

Researchers have found that people in the North are predisposed to low levels of Vitamin D, Kandola said, which can aggravate SAD, and the significant imbalance between the length of days in the summer compared to the winter means there can be more cases of the disorder here than in the south.

Kandola said it's most common to have a case of the winter blues, instead of full-scale depression, but expressed the importance of seeking medical help if the depression worsens or turns to suicidal thoughts or self-harm.

"It's rarer to get that full-scale but it's really important that people know they have to seek help if they get to that point," she said.

If the mood shifts when the season changes, it's a good possibility the person has SAD - but what can they do to lighten the mood?

"When it is light you want to maximize your exposure ... let your curtains open so you're exposing yourself to the sunlight, even by sitting close to a window if you can't go outside," she suggested.

"The other thing that can help is regular exercise, which helps because it can release endorphins, and as much as possible try to resist your cravings for carbohydrates, that will make you feel worse and increase weight gain."

Vitamin D can also help replenish what's lost in the shorter days, but it's not necessarily a cure for the disorder.

"The links between Vitamin D and SAD, I can't speak on, but less light is less vitamin D levels and that's the time you'd want to improve your intake and supplement it, " said Kandola.

For people who can't sleep because of SAD in the summer, getting out of the sunlight and decreasing the over-exposure will help, along with exercise and healthy meals, she said.

Also, thinking of a quick fix such as taking a vacation to a sunny destination in the winter isn't going to help.

"That helps while you're there but you haven't' learned the skills of keeping yourself healthy so you'll go right back into it," Kandola said.

"It's a temporary solution but it's not a long-term type of help."

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