Seasonal Affective Disorder: It’s More than Just “Winter Blues,” But You Can Feel Better Any Time of Year With Alpha-Stim​

February 21st, 2020

Some struggle with a type of depression that worsens during the winter months.

Winter can feel dismal. The days are shorter, the weather is colder, the festive holiday season is behind us, and spring feels so far away! It’s understandable that your mood might take a turn for the worse at this time of year. But what happens when your low mood is more than just temporary sadness? Is it normal to struggle with depression that worsens on a cyclical basis year after year?

If you’ve noticed amplified depression symptoms at certain times of the year, you are not alone; many people experience depression that worsens and abates with the change of the seasons. You may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, a subtype of clinical depression that can have a profound impact on your mental health and wellbeing.

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Seasonal Affective Disorder is “a type of depression that comes and goes with the seasons, typically starting in the late fall and early winter and going away during the spring and summer.” It is not considered to be a separate disorder from depression, but rather a type of depression that occurs in a specific pattern – worsening during one season and abating during another. But even though your symptoms go away for part of the year, it’s still important to treat your depression. You deserve to feel your best, year-round.

How do I know if I have SAD?

A man sits with his face in his hands

Depression can rob you of your energy, and cause you to lose interest in things you once enjoyed

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the symptoms of SAD are the same as those of major depression, which include:

• Feeling depressed most of the day, nearly every day
• Feeling hopeless or worthless
• Having low energy
• Losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Having problems with sleep
• Experiencing changes in your appetite or weight
• Feeling sluggish or agitated
• Having difficulty concentrating
• Having frequent thoughts of death or suicide.

If you suffer from SAD, you will notice these symptoms only during specific seasons. For most people, symptoms surface during the winter months – but it is possible to have summer seasonal affective disorder as well.

Regardless of which season is challenging for you, SAD can make you dread that particular time of year. But there is no need to continue to suffer. Depression is treatable, and you have options. It is possible to feel better.

Is SAD Treatable? What are my Options?

No matter whether your depression is worse in the winter, the summer, or if it weighs you down more consistently, you don’t have to accept it as an inevitable part of your life. Your doctor may recommend a multifaceted approach to treatment, including talk therapy as well as diet modifications or perhaps even a light box to simulate daylight in the winter months. These changes can sometimes be enough to bring some improvement to your mood.

A hand holds 3 pills

Medications are not your only option for treating depression.

These are all good ways to combat depression – but what happens when they are not helpful for you? What if you try these things and you still don’t feel any better? It doesn’t mean that you are doing anything wrong – depression is an especially tenacious mood disorder, and sometimes the first several treatments you try are simply not effective for you.

Many practitioners will prescribe antidepressant medications to attempt to relieve your depression symptoms. But these medications can cause scary side effects and dependence, and they may not even be effective at relieving depression. But this doesn’t mean that you’ve run out of viable options. You don’t have to choose between being depressed and taking the risk of relying on pharmaceuticals. Alpha-Stim® is another option that you may not have heard of.

Why Choose Alpha-Stim?

Alpha-Stim is an FDA cleared medical device that has been proven time and again, since the 1980’s, to safely and effectively treat depression. It uses a modality called cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES), rather than drugs, to treat your depression. A tiny current of electricity is transmitted through two ear-clip electrodes, restoring balance to your brain and making you feel better. Treatments are painless and easy, and done in the comfort of your own home. The effectiveness of Alpha-Stim’s patented waveform is backed by over 100 clinical research studies, and patients rave about their success.

A man uses Alpha-Stim at work

Alpha-Stim is compact and discrete – you can easily use it at home or at work.

Since Alpha-Stim is not a drug, there is no risk of addiction or lasting side effects. It is safe to use in conjunction with other treatment modalities, although many people find that they can reduce or even discontinue their medications when using Alpha-Stim (always consult with your doctor before changing your medications.) Better still, results with Alpha-Stim are cumulative over time: the more you use it, the less you’ll need to. At the same time, there is no risk of overuse – you can use it as often as you’d like, increasing the frequency when you need it the most and tapering off of treatments when you’re feeling good.

Alpha-Stim is a safe and effective alternative to antidepressant medications. Not only does it treat depression, but it also relieves the anxiety and insomnia that often accompany it. Depression and insomnia are closely linked in a vicious cycle: depression worsens sleep, and poor sleep worsens depression. Many antidepressant medications can adversely affect the quality of your sleep – but Alpha-Stim helps you get the rest you need to feel better. And not only does Alpha-Stim work better than drugs, but it costs less, too!

In the United States, you’ll need a prescription for Alpha-Stim (it is available over the counter in other countries); you can get started here. And if it all sounds too good to be true, we encourage you to try Alpha-Stim for 30 days. If you aren’t impressed with how good you feel, you can return it!

Finding the right treatment for your depression can be a difficult task – but don’t get discouraged. If your depression comes back time after time, you can put an end to the cycle, and you don’t have to turn to pharmaceuticals and all their scary side effects. Alpha-Stim allows you to treat your depression on your terms, in a way that fits your lifestyle. Don’t wait another day – get started today and let nothing stop you, no matter the time of year.

About Alpha-Stim

Alpha-Stim® is an FDA cleared, handheld medical device that has been proven time and again to effectively treat acute, post traumatic, and chronic pain, as well as anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Alpha-Stim uses cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES), delivered through a patented waveform via two ear-clip electrodes, to treat anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Microcurrent electrical therapy (MET) delivers pain relief directly to the source of discomfort via two handheld Smart Probes.

The safety and effectiveness of Alpha-Stim is backed by over 100 independent clinical research studies. Unlike with medications, there is no risk of addiction or lasting side effects.

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