Got The Winter Blues? Buy a Cat

What happens when days get shorter, colder and the summer sun is gone? Some people slump into “the winter blues”. But 11 million North Americans take a severe nosedive into “seasonal affective disorder” (SAD). So if you’ve started to feel tired, don’t want to get out of bed, or even see friends, here’s Rx 101 to shake the SAD.

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Dr. June Nicholas, a psychologist at Haywards Heath in England, carried out a five year study during each January and February to evaluate whether cats have a soothing effect on physical and mental health. Dr. Nicholas reported that cat lovers were less likely to get that down-in-the-dumps feeling than those who didn’t have a “Whiskers” sitting on their lap. Cat owners had 60 percent fewer headaches, were 21 percent less likely to catch a cold or flu, suffered less insomnia, impatience and tension. But who benefited the most from owning a cat in the dark days of winter? I would have bet my last dollar that it was the elderly, lonely, silver-haired lady sitting in her rocking chair. But I would have lost my money. Rather, it was macho males under 40 years of age! Dawn Hanson, of the Feline Rescue Foundation in Alberta, may have the answer for this response. She says, “Cats are creatures of subtle communication and men who recognize this quality usually bring a respectful sensitivity to this relationship”. So if the snow is falling, the sky dark and ominous and you’re suffering from SAD, don’t reach for Prozac or St. John’s Wort. Buy a cat. Then put some light into your life. Dr. Michael Teman, director of the Winter Depression Program at New York Psychiatric Institute at Columbia University Medical Center, says a person suffering the winter doldrums may have difficulty waking up, getting out of bed and getting to work on time. Teman claims this sensitivity to lack of sunlight results from the winter’s shorter days which disrupt our internal body clock. The human clock takes its cue from sunlight, especially in the morning. But in the northern states and Canada, there’s a two to four hour delay in the sunrise in mid-winter versus the summer. This is enough to toss us, body and soul, out of sync. SAD also causes the brain to work overtime producing melatonin, the hormone that regulates our sleep patterns. And this hormone has been linked to depression. But getting enough sunlight when it’s freezing outside is easier said than done. Daniel F. Kripke, professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, says that standing by a sunny window, or in regular indoor lighting, regardless of how bright, won’t help. Kripke claims you need artificial “sunbox” lights with special fluorescent tubes that mimic the sun’s beneficial rays. He suggests that 30 minutes of this light first thing in the morning will tame the winter blues within one week. Sun boxes can be placed on the table while you’re eating breakfast or working. Dr. James Gordon, author of “Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression”, suggests reducing the amount of sugar and adding more fiber to the diet. I doubt this would have any effect on SAD. And I’d have to be in bad shape before I joined a polar bear club and ran into freezing water as recommended by another expert on SAD. But getting off the couch and socializing with friends has proven to have a positive psychological effect. Suppose everything fails. If you’re one of the lucky ones to have survived these difficult financial times, there’s one last RX, a near 100 percent cure. Toss all the artificial sunlight boxes into the garbage and go for the real McCoy, a ticket to somewhere in the south. But don’t buy a plane ticket and subject yourself to all the hassle of airports. Take a relaxing train ride. I’ve found that jogging along on a train for a few days along with good books helps to solve a lot of life’s problems. And just to be sure you’ve left nothing to chance in trying to beat SAD, buy a cat on the way home.