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IT'S A WINTER MORNING AND YOU'RE RUNNING LATE. You flop out of bed and lift a weary hand to peek through the blinds. The sight of overcast skies or snow and ice can make you want to slink back under the covers. But before you scold yourself for being lazy or undisciplined, you should know you're not alone.

Have you ever wondered why it's so much harder to get up during the winter? Or why you suddenly feel down as nights grow long? Or why you feel so cranky on cold, damp days?

Psychologists have a name for our collective winter funk. They call it seasonal affective disorder or SAD, a depression that strikes about 10 million Americans--mostly women--according to statistics from Meharry Medical College.

"As winter approaches, there's less sunlight," says Dr. Zia Wahid, the director of Mehaury's residency training in psychiatry and assistant psychiatry professor. "That affects the brain's neurotransmitters that monitor our mood."

Wahid says SAD is a cyclical feeling of melancholy that many people who live in northern parts of the U.S. or Canada experience. It begins in mid to late autumn, but people usually shake off the depression as sunshine returns in March or April.

But before you move to sun-drenched states like Florida or Arizona, you should know there's another type of winter sadness that can affect everyone--even those living in warmer climes. Some call it the holiday blues.

"Winter is the time of getting together for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the holidays," Wahid says. "Many people who have lost significant others, parents or close friends begin to miss them more. For many people it brings back sad memories."

Still others face the mental stress of meeting holiday expectations of gift-giving and creating lavish meals. When they can't meet these demand Wahid says, they get depressed.

But the good news is there's help. If you're tired of feeling blue or gropping your way to the shower, you might want to consider some of the following tips. Experts say incorporating these fitness and diet guidelines into your life can help you boost your energy and beat the winter blahs. They're also good practices to keep in mind year-round.

The key to feeling invigorated, experts say, is to keep your body and mind alert. One of the best ways to do that is through regular exercise.

# posted by Medical Information : 2:51 AM