The clocks have gone back, the mornings are lighter - but on the flip side the evenings are drawing in more quickly and we can feel the creeping onset of short and darker days. For some this heralds the start of a period of the year that they would rather do without. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of low mood and depression that occurs at a specific time of year, during the autumn and winter months when there is less natural sunlight.
People with SAD may experience symptoms such as low energy, changes in sleep and appetite, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of hopelessness.
The exact cause of SAD is not fully understood, but it is believed to be related to the reduced level of sunlight during these seasons. This reduction in sunlight can lead to:
- Disruption of Circadian Rhythms: The body's internal clock, which regulates sleep-wake cycles and other daily rhythms, can be thrown off by the lack of natural light, leading to feelings of depression.
- Decreased Serotonin Levels: Sunlight plays a key role in regulating serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects mood. Lower levels of sunlight may lead to reduced serotonin activity, contributing to feelings of depression and low mood.
- Increased Melatonin Production: Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep. Longer nights and reduced daylight can increase melatonin production, leading to sleepiness and lethargy which in turn can lead to feelings of low mood and hopelessness.
- Vitamin D Deficiency: Sunlight exposure is a primary source of vitamin D, which is linked to mood regulation. Reduced sunlight can lead to lower vitamin D levels in the body.
Understanding these factors can help people to manage the worst of their SAD symptoms through light therapy, lifestyle changes such as spending more time outdoors during daylight hours, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, and engaging in physical activity to boost their endorphin (good mood hormone) production as a way of countering the low mood drop off in Seratonin caused by light deficiency.
As an aromatherapist there is also one additional recommendation that I would ALWAYS make - the daily use of essential oils to help boost your mood and alleviate feelings of sadness, gloom and despair.
The impact of essential oils on mood is a fascinating area of study that has garnered significant attention in the last decade.. Although essential oils have been used anecdotally for centuries there has been an increasing number of scientfic studies into their physiological and psychological effects in recent years, including a Pub Med scientific study last year which concluded that blended essential oils, rather than individual oils, had a greater impact on lifting mood and depressive values among menopausal women, patients with chronic illness and pain, and patients with psychological difficulties.
The pathway to the brain for essential oil inhalation, which involves the olfactory bulb linking directly into the emotional processing centre of the amygdala, and the fact that many essential oil molecules are unique in their minute size, allowing them to cross the brain-blood barrier, is believed to be one of the reasons that they are able to impact mood so effectively. But as with many areas of brain research, the study of essential oils and their impact on the brain has generated many hypotheses that are yet to be fully understood. Neuroscience will one day get us there fully, but at the moment a little anecdotal evidence will also have to suffice.
I love these recent diagrams that I discovered when reading an indepth article on the mechanism and therapeutic effect of essential oils on mood regulation and disorder. The first diagram shows the pathway into the brain for essential oil molecules.
The following diagram shows the impact of essential oils on several key functioning systems within our body that impact on mood regulation (hormone system, nervous system, communication system). For the nerdy aromatherapists out there this is just fascinating stuff!
So which oils would I recommend for SAD and low mood caused by seasonal gloom?
Here are my 3 key tips:
Always create a blend, with a minimum of 3 oils
Always include a citrus based oil in the blend
Always include a high energy oil in the blend. Any by high energy I mean stimulating, e.g Rosemary, Black Pepper. These oils need to contain a high level of monoterpenes, alcohols, or phenol compounds
And how best to use these oils for low mood?
Definitely inhalation. Ideally have a diffuser in your home, or on your desk at work (we sell mini desk diffusers here)
Inhalation of steam and bodily absorbtion through an end-of-day bath is also recommended.
Blends for you to try at home:
Citrus Winter Inhalation Uplift (makes a 10ml bottle)
3ml Mandarin essential oil (60 drops)
2ml Grapefruit essential oil (40 drops)
2ml Lime essential oils (40 drops)
2 ml Rosemary essential oil (40 drops)
1 ml Eucalyptus Lemon essential oil oil (40 drops)
Warming Winter Inhalation Uplift (makes a 10ml bottle)
2 ml Geranium (40 drops)
1 ml Clove (20 drops)
2 ml Cinnamon (40 drops)
3 ml Sweet Orange (60 drops)
2 ml Cardamom (40 drops)
DO NOT USE THE ABOVE BLENDS IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, SUFFER FROM MEDICALLY MANAGED HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE OR HAVE EPILEPSY
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