Dr. Marta Edgar, the counsellor at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), held her notebook at the SAIT Student Development and Counselling Center on Jan. 25, 2024.(Photo by Jiaqi Su)
Monica Martine Zcardenas, a student of the SAIT accounting program, studied at the Focus Area Study Carrel-1 at the SAIT library on Jan. 30, 2024, this study space is equipped with a light therapy lamp. (Photo by Jiaqi Su)
As nights get longer and the weather grows colder during winter, many Canadians experience what is known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.
According to the Government of Canada, in January, we get about nine hours of sunlight a day, much more than the seven hours per day during December, which has the shortest days of the year. Moreover, Alberta faced extremely cold weather in early January, impacting citizens’ work and lives.
Dr. Marta Edgar, a counsellor at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), offers expertise in navigating SAD, and solutions for staying happy during the colder and darker months.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Michael Burley, a first-year journalism student, looked out the window at the Senator Burns Building of SAIT on Jan. 24, 2024. (Photo by Jiaqi Su)
Juan Ruiz Parra works in the SAIT International Center, he held a small light and doing light treatment during his break at Macdonald Hall on Jan. 30, 2024. (Photo by Jiaqi Su)
Q: What is a Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
A: Some people feel worse in winter than in summer. They have lower energy, might feel sad and might start overrating have no appetite, or they might sleep too much and have no motivation to do anything. So, this pattern now sounds like the depression. A lot of those symptoms are the same as depression setups, if it lifts by itself when spring comes, and a person feels good again, when this pattern is repeated, the current label is Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Q: What is the cause of the SAD?
A: The only measurable element that Science has so far, as far as I know, is that
daylight. In winter, there are much fewer hours of daylight than darkness. Maybe there are other things. In our climate here, I often hear from people, especially older people that they don't want to go outside and walk because they are afraid of falling. And so that is another element, but it's harder to measure how the cold affects our activity level activity.
Q: Have you ever been affected by SAD?
A: I think so. I am much more interested in getting up and doing things in the summer than in winter. If I wake up and the sun is rising, it's fantastic. I want to get up and go outside and do something, but if I wake up and it's completely dark right now. What should I do with this? It doesn't look like the start of the day. But because I know myself, I know there is one thing that is most important and helpful to me exercise. If I don't exercise, I am going to almost for sure, feel worse.
Q: What can people do to improve their situation?
A: A simple way that anybody can do this is to arrange to be outside, arrange to eat your lunch outside, meet a friend outside, get your exercise outside, anything that can be taken out to do that. Getting exercise is a huge help, any exercise, it doesn't need to be the gym.
Q: How do you feel about the light treatment?
A: The light has to be the right type of light. Our usual lamps do not qualify. A light that is designated as a therapy light. Sunlight is a full spectrum; these lights are not. They are either into blue or yellow or some other spectrum, but they are not full spectrum which means it has all the colors. These are a few of those lamps around campus. we have one here in a waiting room, one in the library and one in the Stan Grad building.
Q: How can we better support students dealing with SAD?
A: Understanding your own body, and what your own body needs. Because everybody is different. Some people live in the northern climate, and they never feel depressed, or they don't have this effect. I don't know if anybody knows at this point. Why do some people never get depression, some people do. When you understand yourself and what your body needs, that's the most important thing.
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