CBD and the seasonal depression
2022.10.12
Autumn season has just started and the cold is on its way…
As the cold days arrive, are you part of that group of people who feel mentally affected by the change of season?
If so, you may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder.
So in this new article, we will talk about seasonal depression and how to cope with this common mood disorder thanks to CBD.
First of all, what is Seasonal Depression?
Seasonal depression or, clinically, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is a mood disorder characterized by increased feelings of depression or anxiety that occur in response to seasonal changes.
In general, the symptoms of SAD usually occur in the early fall and then worsen during the winter.
Do you suffer from SAD?
While not everyone with SAD will experience the following symptoms, these are the most common:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Decreased libido
- Difficulty focusing
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Loss of interest in activities
- Oversleeping
- Reduced energy levels
- Social withdrawal
- Weight gain
After reading this list, if you recognize yourself in some of the symptoms mentioned above, you may suffer from SAD.
What causes SAD?
Seasonal affective disorder is more often experienced by people who live farther from the equator, where sunlight is scarcer as the winter season approaches.
Seasonal affective disorder is thought to be related to several causes such as:
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Low serotonin levels
A disruption of the internal biological clock caused by the shortening of daylight hours.
Indeed, in winter, the days are shorter, which means that we are less exposed to sunlight.
As a consequence, this leads to a vitamin D deficiency.
In fact, when we are deprived of sunlight, some of us begin to experience feelings of depression and apathy.
Exposure to natural sunlight provides us with much needed vitamin D. When your skin is exposed to the sun, the sun’s ultraviolet rays penetrate the cholesterol in your skin cells and trigger a chemical reaction that provides the energy needed to make vitamin D.
To meet our daily vitamin D needs from the sun, researches have shown that the human body needs about 6 minutes of sun exposure in summer, and 15 minutes in winter.
However, on overcast and cloudy winter days, it can be difficult to get our daily quota of sunlight.
Vitamin D deficiency is related to:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Brittle bones
- Mood swings
- Fatigue
- Frequent illness
- Hair loss
- Muscle weakness
- Osteoporosis
In addition, the level of serotonin is also important.
Serotonin, which functions as a neurotransmitter in our brain, plays a key role in regulating many functions such as appetite, sleep, memory, sexual desire and mood.
And depression has been inextricably linked to low serotonin levels.
As evidence, Dr. Brenda McMahon and her team of researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, found that long and dark winter nights lead to lower serotonin levels in people with seasonal affective disorder.
Add to that the loss of an extra hour due to daylight saving time, and it becomes clear that reduced sunlight exposure begins to affect our mood.
A distinct lack of sunlight can potentially cause significant disruptions to our circadian rhythm, or our body’s internal biological clock.
In a few words, shorter winter days lead to an overproduction of melatonin, a hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycles.
In reality, the more melatonin we produce, the more tired we are.
And the direct result of this abundance of melatonin is that we feel more sluggish and tired during the shorter days of winter.
This ripple effect on our sleep-wake cycles can have a direct impact on our mood…
SAD and CBD
Our brain’s neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, play a vital role in regulating our mood and happiness.
As discussed above, reduced levels of dopamine and serotonin are directly linked to depression and anxiety.
The good news is that CBD has been found to boost serotonin and dopamine levels by interacting with our body’s endocannabinoid system.
In fact, a 2010 study by Jose Alexandre S. Crippa found that patients with generalized social anxiety disorder were significantly relieved after receiving oral doses of 400 mg of CBD.
Therefore, to combat seasonal affective disorder, we recommend choosing products with high CBD content.
We strongly suggest that patients avoid products with moderate to high amounts of THC, as this psychoactive compound can trigger and exacerbate existing feelings of depression and anxiety.
Instead, opting for products with less THC or THC-free, like the ones we provide at CBD California, can be a good way to maximize results.
In fact, one of our recommended products is the Miyabi CBD oil, which is made in Japan and manufactured in a local factory.
It is THC-free and chemically synthesized from orange peels, and it is approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
So this is safe to recommend to your family and friends!
So don’t hesitate to give it a try!
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