Grey old weather in Scotland

Many of us in Scotland, especially those of us not from here originally like myself, suffer from SAD or Seasonal Adjustment Difficulty. This is largely related to the amount of sunlight being absorbed, stimulating the piturity gland and thus the whole metabolism and hormonal system.

The effects include depression, lethargy, low metabolic rate, distorted appetite, appetite for the wrong foods, irritability and general malaise.

Another long term effect, thought to be related to the poor health record in Scotland, is low levels of vitamin D, much of which the body forms itself through a process involving sunlight.

So what can you do to offset the effects:

1. Create a sleep plan, setting hours to go to bed and get up, and try to stick fairly closely to it. If you allow yourself to sleep more, you will be encouraging the "hibernate" pattern that essentially the lack of sunlight is encouraging.

2. Get as much sunlight or daylight as possible. Even if it is overcast and cloudy, try to get out and absorb what little light there is, in breaks or lunch hours.

3. Eat healthy foods, of course have some tasty treats, but keep the fruit and veg and lean protein sources coming to prevent spiral into high sugar foods. Look for long burn carbs like brown rice.

4. Consider a vitamin D supplement. These are cheap and available from most chemists and supermarkets. Follow the instructions on the packet.

5. Try some full spectrum light bulbs in your home. Especially first thing in the morning, and during the day a few hours of full spectrum light copy the effects of the sun. Try to avoid last thing at night though to avoid over stimulation.

6. If you can not sleep well, consider melatonin as a sleep supplement. This is the same natural chemical the body produces to enable deep sleep. It can not be bought over the counter in the UK, but companies like Biovera sell it online. It is a naturally occurring chemical that is thought to be more healthy than taking artificial sleeping pills or soporific herbs.

7. Take regular exercise. On a dark or grey night -  get to the gym where it is brightly lit, energetic and active. Getting there requires a self applied kick to the rear, but once there you have the chance to get the old metabolism up and running.... literally!

Even though summer is nearly here.... in Scotland we are still "enjoying" grey, wet and cloudy weather. Therefore you can learn to practice some of these ideas now while it is only miserable some of the time, and when real winter comes you should have systems in place that work for you.

Also there is a condition that is essentially reverse SAD, where sunlight is such a shock that over stimulation occurs, resulting in anxiety and other issues. Learning the above methods for use on grey days can help to create balance as you ease off them on Sunny days. Part of the problem with typical and reverse SAD is simply the adjustment to change. You can use the above methods to help create a more overall balanced experience, thus reducing the difficulty of any remaining adjustment.

If you have any other emotional difficulties or trauma then SAD will cause you to find it harder to cope with stress, anger, anxiety etc. Therefore consider combining the above with some appropriate counselling support, or self help CBT.