The month of November is still epitomised well in this 19th century poem:


No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon -
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! -
November!

 

Thomas Hood (1799-1845)

 

November can often be a dull, rather bleak month when the weather refuses to set itself into winter proper but as the hours quickly shorten, we often can spend many of our waking hours in the dark or a dusky twilight.

 

The poet Thomas Hood captured it well above and when he wrote it, the month, without the benefit of the artificial light that we rely on, must have been an even darker and altogether duller affair.

 

Recently the syndrome ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has been recognised. This condition is a type of winter Depression that affects an estimated half a million people in the UK between September and April, though especially during the winter months. Symptoms generally include mild depression, sleepiness and loss of appetite.   

 

SAD is rare closer to the equator but anyone north of about 35 degrees north may be affected. It is a serious disorder, sometimes triggering dysthymia or clinical depression and may even require hospitalisation. Famous people that  suffer include the singer Natalie Imbruglia, Johnny Briggs (Mike Baldwin from Coronation St) and the musician Rick Strom.

 

Connections between our mood, energy levels, and the seasons have been well documented for centuries and many people do experience lower energy levels during the winter months.

 

To escape from the condition some English people, especially those able to retire, find relief by relocating to areas south of this latitude, for example Spain or the Canary Islands. The sun here remains bright and strong enough during the winter months to ensure that people will not be affected.     

 

However, for most of us this is clearly not a viable option!  There are a number of ways though that it’s possible to help alleviate such feelings. These include trying to increase any outdoor exercise, particularly on any (rare?) sunny days, to increase our solar exposure, as most people get less outdoor exercise during the winter.

 

Whilst the use of medication, ionized-air reception and cognitive therapy can help, another treatment that has been very successful is the use of a bright light-box, many times brighter than normal office lighting (about 10,000 lux). Sufferers find that sitting in front of the light, eyes open, for around 60 minutes a day can help alleviate or completely disperse the symptoms.

 

Perhaps oddly, the simulation of dawn can also help sufferers it seems. Some studies carried out in 2001 in Seattle by the University of Washington, showed that if SAD patients were exposed to a false ‘bright dawn’ using a low level light box it could help their condition significantly.

 

Even for those who get by in the winter without too many ill effects however, it's probably fair to say that we look forward to the time in the late winter when the days start lengthening and the sun once again seems bright and warm, as it bathes us in it's welcome golden light.

 

Link to the UK SAD organisation: http://www.sada.org.uk/