Will Skylights Help Your Seasonal Affective Disorder?

If you have ever felt a drop in energy, mood, or motivation as the days grow shorter, you are not alone. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a health condition that impacts millions of Americans – causing symptoms of depression during fall and winter when natural light is hard to come by.

But what exactly causes SAD? And what can you do to alleviate your symptoms? This Solatube guide aims to provide you with all the information you need to know. Let’s dive in!

What Causes Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a complex condition with a few key causes that seem to revolve around reduced sunlight. When you get less natural light, your body and brain go through changes that can impact your mood, energy, and overall health.

Here’s what the research indicates might be going on:

• Circadian Rhythm Disruption: Your body relies on natural light to maintain its internal clock, also known as the circadian rhythm. Reduced daylight hours can throw this clock off – affecting your mood, alertness, and energy levels.
• Increased Melatonin Production: Melatonin is the hormone that helps regulate sleep. Darkness increases melatonin, making you feel sleepy. With less exposure to daylight in the winter, you may produce more melatonin than usual – which can make you feel tired and lethargic.
• Reduced Serotonin Levels: Sunlight helps boost serotonin – a chemical in your brain that is associated with happiness. Less sunlight can mean lower serotonin levels. As a result, you may experience feelings of sadness or depression.
• Vitamin D Deficiency: Sunlight exposure also provides your body with vitamin D, which supports mental health. During the darker months, vitamin D levels tend to drop – leaving you more susceptible to SAD symptoms.

According to Johns Hopkins, the risk of developing SAD increases significantly as you age – and it is much more common in women than in men.

How Doctors Treat Seasonal Affective Disorder Symptoms

The National Institute of Mental Health says there are four main ways to treat SAD. They are:

• Light therapy
• Vitamin D supplements
• Psychotherapy, and
• Antidepressant medication

In most cases, doctors recommend that patients try light therapy before they explore alternative treatment options. This therapy generally comes in one of these two forms:

1. Sunlight Exposure: Having the patient spend time next to a window or under a skylight to absorb natural light.
2. Light Box Therapy: Having the patient sit next to a special light box that is designed to mimic the effects of natural light.

Physicians usually opt for this type of therapy because it counteracts the causes of SAD that we outlined in the last section. It helps the body maintain a healthy circadian rhythm, it regulates the production of melatonin, and it increases serotonin levels. It can even provide patients with extra vitamin D without them ever having to take any kind of pill or supplement.

Skylights: The Ultimate Tool in the Fight Against SAD

If you suffer from seasonal affective disorder, and you’d like to try alleviating it with light therapy, your first instinct might be to go online and purchase an artificial light box. However, before you go down that road, you may instead want to consider an alternate option: Installing a skylight in your home.

Skylights offer a range of benefits over artificial light boxes, including:

• Natural Full-Spectrum Light: Skylights provide natural sunlight, which contains the full spectrum of light wavelengths. This spectrum more closely matches daylight than artificial light boxes. As such, it is likely to do a better job of alleviating your SAD.
• Consistent, Passive Light Exposure: Unlike light boxes, which require dedicated use, skylights deliver sunlight throughout the day without any effort on your part. This steady exposure can help keep your body’s internal clock on track – naturally stabilizing your mood and helping to maintain your energy levels.
• No Setup or Scheduling Required: Light boxes require you to spend a specific amount of time sitting near them each day. Skylights, on the other hand, require no special setup or use instructions. Once it has been installed, all you need to do is keep living your life as normal.
• A Brighter, Warmer Home: Skylights bring warmth and brightness to your entire space, creating a more comfortable and inviting atmosphere that can naturally lift your mood. In contrast, a light box is purely functional and lacks the environmental benefits that make your house feel more uplifting.

Are you ready to see if installing a new skylight in your home can help to alleviate your seasonal affective disorder? If so, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local Solatube dealer. We have been brightening our customers’ lives for years, and we’d love to do the same for you.