How to Beat the Seattle Gray Blues

Combined with its long nights and persistently cloudy weather, Seattle rates among the gloomiest cities in the nation in the wintertime. Last month, Seattle averaged 93% cloud cover. For some, it's just part of the Seattle experience. But for others, the persistent gray and lack of light can lead to depression, known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.

"It's hard because a lot of times you wake up in the morning and it's dark and then you come home in the afternoon and it's still dark and in between it's just kind of gloomy and gray a lot of the times," says Dr. Megan Feng, a primary care doctor at the UW Medicine's South Lake Union clinic. "With the darker days, your sleep/wake cycles can get a little bit irregular because you don't have that light stimulus that you get in the summer."

She suggests one of the best treatments is to get a light therapy device -- some of the simple ones can be found online for around $30.

Dr. Feng suggests turning on the light early in the morning -- within 10 minutes of waking up. And maybe if the sun won't come to Seattle, go somewhere else to find it. Taking a vacation to some place sunnier or just taking a few days off can be helpful!

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