If you ever feel like you have the “winter blues,” you’re not alone.
Seasonal affective disorder, otherwise known ironically by its acronym SAD, can be a real problem during Michigan winters. As the days shorten and the sun hides behind an overcast sky, it’s easy to feel tired and, yes, even sad as the winter drags on.
Symptoms of SAD, as outlined by Mayo Clinic, include feelings of heaviness, low mood, oversleeping, and irritability. For many, these symptoms feel like an inevitable part of winter. But it doesn’t have to be.
A number of remedies for SAD have been suggested by medical professionals, including vitamin D supplements and even antidepressants. While these methods can be helpful, there is another option that is less invasive and easier to use: sun lamps.
Sun lamps, or light therapy lamps, are used to treat SAD and other mood disorders. They work by mimicking natural daylight via production of full-spectrum light, while still blocking harmful UV rays. The lamps can be used for as little as 15 minutes to attain the benefits they offer, depending on how intense the light is.
Though many stores offer light therapy lamps, the cheapest models on the market range average about $35, which can make it difficult for some shoestring-budgeted college students to get one of their own. Additionally, the majority of these cheap lamps are of lower intensity light than $100 models, which means it takes much longer exposure for any benefit to be gained from them or they may not be useful at all.
Many universities are now offering light therapy resources for their students. Several Big Ten schools, including the University of Michigan and Ohio State, fall into this category. Even the smaller universities are making the effort to keep their students happy. Last fall, Northern Michigan University installed sun lamps in their library after offering them in their counseling office, allowing for greater student access.
MSU, too, offers sun lamps for students to use. However, this is not a widely known fact. While information has recently been posted in residence halls about seasonal affective disorder and the aid light therapy offers, there is not a single mention of the resource on the MSU Counseling Center’s website. It seems the only way to get information about it is to call the center and ask specifically for it, which is difficult for students to do when they don’t even know that the resource exists.
In the midst of yet another Michigan winter, it’s worth wondering why MSU hasn’t stepped up to the plate and brought this resource to the attention of the greater student body. We are an incredibly diverse campus, full of students who may have never even seen a snowflake before. It’s only natural for those students to feel a bit run down as they struggle to acclimate to the new climate, and native Michigan students only fare better because we know what to expect. After all, approximately 5 percent of the US population suffers from SAD, and even more experience lesser depressive symptoms during the winter months, according to the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Light therapy offers a brighter future for many students, so why not make it common knowledge?
