The last couple of weeks I haven’t been as happy as I normally am, and I don’t think it’s just me, Sweety and Zeus seem to be a little bit low too – mostly Zeus though.
Winter in Victoria means clouds and rain, which doesn’t usually faze me too much. I’ll take a few clouds and some rain over snow and -40 any day! Even though the winter of 2009/2010 has been a fantastic one, with less rain and more sun than normal, I started to wonder today, if all of us, (the dogs and I) might be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
SAD, also known as “Winter Blues” or “Winter Depression” is thought to be related to the seasonal changes in light. Decreased light in the winter months may upset neurotransmitters in the brain such as melatonin and serotonin that play a role in regulating sleep, mood and appetite.
Prior to the invention of the light bulb people still got up and went to bed with the sun, we were in sync with the seasons. For most of us these days, it’s not like that anymore.
“The person who sleeps eight or ten hours a night is never fully asleep and never fully awake.” According to a 1975 study by Wilse E Webb and Harman Agnew, Edison robbed us of two hours sleep every night.
Just before the pre-light bulb era in 1910, the average adult slept 9 hours. The average today is 7 to 7.5 – that’s up to 700 hours a year most likely doing overtime. Source: The New Statesman
Yeah, thanks Tom!?
For up to 10% of the human population (mainly in northern climates), these hormonal disruptions can cause depressive symptoms ranging from mild to more severe.
As I allude to above, dogs can suffer from SAD too. Symptoms may include;
• Difficulty waking
• Oversleeping
• Overeating (leads to weight gain)
• Reduced energy levels
There are a variety of treatment options for treating SAD in people, light therapy, medication, and counseling.
For our doggies we need to;
• make sure that they still get exercised regularly, even when it’s cold or raining outside
• get them out in the sunshine when it’s sunny
• make sure they don’t overeat (gain weight)
• overdose on love and affection
Does your dog seem a little bit bummed out this winter?
I'm a dog guardian to Sweety, my 15 year old Border Collie & Zeus a stray American Pit Bull Terrier that I rescued in October of 2009. I write about canine health and nutrition focusing mainly on topics relating to feeding a raw meaty bones diet.
