latitude does, obviously, but I know I sunburn more easily at higher altitude.
am I also less likely to have SAD at higher altitude? I gave a quick google and didn’t find anything. I’m pretty impatient, though, and never look past the first page. :dubious:
I too, am impatient with the search results.
Nothing related to altitude that I can find right now, although the Mayo Clinic has ongoing research on SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). There may be a subset of their studies that may help your inquiry,
Going from personal experience, no.
Definitely not my area of expertise, but I have read (sorry, no cite) that mental illness in general is more likely to occur in those living at higher altitudes. The article I read theorized that there might have been some sort of hypoxia effect that was possibly triggering slight changes in brain chemistry. To me, the article seemed to be putting forward unproven theories based on some rough, and possibly flawed, statistical analysis. The statistics were also looking at rates of mental health issues in general, and not specifically any particular type or category of mental health issues.
In any event, if those researchers are correct, then you might possibly be more likely, not less, to suffer from SAD at higher altitudes. Then again, might not. It seemed to be far from proven.
Agree.
thank you both for the replies.
I just moved down from Colorado Springs to almost sea level and believe I am experiencing SAD already, even though it’s only mid-September and there is a lot of dark months coming still. worrisome!
I am using my Happy Light right now.
When I lived in Colorado at 8000 feet, there were a lot of sunny days in the winter. It seemed to either be snowing or bluebird.
Now I live at 3000 feet and there are very few sunny days in the wintertime here. SAD is definitely an issue.
Can’t get much more scientific than that. 