Which spa treatments can help with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

What is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Almost a third of people in the UK suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD); as the days get shorter and the nights draw in, it’s time to start thinking about how to ward it off. This seasonal depression is caused by shortened daylight hours and a lack of sunlight, leading to a diminished amount of vitamin D.  Nuffield Health writes: "around 1 in 15 people in the UK will experience some form of SAD each year."

The NHS lists the symptoms of SAD as:

• A persistent low mood
• A loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities
• Irritability
• Feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness
• Feeling lethargic (lacking in energy) and sleepy during the day
• Sleeping for longer than normal and finding it hard to get up in the morning
• Craving carbohydrates and gaining weight
• Difficulty concentrating
• Decreased sex drive

Affecting some people mildly and others quite severely, it can be quite debilitating at times. While there's no magic potion to make it go away, from eating well to having an SAD light at home, getting out in the fresh air, to exercise, there are a number of simple things that can be done to help ease SAD symptoms. Spas also offer support, as well as the added joy of the spa experience, with dedicated SAD spa treatments you may like to try.

Which spas offer therapies that help with SAD?

The Aqua Sun Mineral treatment at Donnington Valley, Berkshire

The perfect antidote to the short days, spa-goers the Aqua Sun Mineral treatment is like the ultimate SAD light immerse themselves in a warm mineral bath containing 21 minerals from the Dead Sea, covered with a UV canopy. This canopy is an excellent source of Vitamin D and not only effectively treats SAD but also helps alleviate dry skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, acne and stress. Meanwhile, the minerals each play their part - including hydrating sodium, relaxing bromide, detoxifying iodine, and anti-stress magnesium.

In their spa treatment brochure they write: "Bathe in warm water while air jets gently massage your body to boost circulation, disperse toxins and nourish dry skin conditions. The low level UV canopy is a source of vitamin D and is particularly good for treating SAD and promoting a sense of well-being."

The Sun Meadow Room at K West Hotel and Spa, London

Regularly voted one of the UK’s best spas, K Spa has numerous unusual treatments and facilities. The luxurious Sun Meadow treatment room is one such example, featuring specially designed UV lights for light therapy treatment. Whilst the sound of birdsong and a running stream fills the room, spa goers relax under gentle lights that feel like spring sunshine, encouraging the production of Vitamin D and serotonin.

The Beach Hut at the Three Horseshoes Country Inn & Spa, Staffordshire

A facility more than a treatment, amidst the rustic charm of The Mill Wheel Spa at the Three Horseshoes Country Inn and Spa, The Beach Hut is a unique experience which replicates the positive benefits of being on a beach in the sun. A unique experience, you lie on a bed of warm sand, and the 25 minute experience takes guests from darkness to sunrise to peak sunshine and then sunset. Relaxing music and essential oils complete the ‘holiday’ experience. It is ideal for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) to top up Vitamin D levels helping beat winter blues and this can even stimulate the metabolism.

The Sunlight Therapy Room at Rudding Park Spa, Harrogate

Rudding Park is a breathtakingly beautiful hotel with every luxury accounted for including an award-winning and adult only spa, known for its unique features. A contemporary space alongside the grandeur of the historic hotel, it's set over three floors, guests can revel in the variety of experiences. One such offering is the Sunlight Therapy Room, which allows guests to benefit from sunlight simulators that recreate the same spectrum of light as the sun. However, it also removes the harmful UVA and UVB rays of natural sunlight.

Large enough to take small groups, it is set to a 20 minute cycle. For 10 minutes the sun rises to its peak. Then it spends 10 minutes going to sunset. To add to the sensory experience, there's an underfloor heating system as well as heated beds, so the temperature rises and falls with the light cycle.

Its benefits are said to include:

• General relaxation and rehabilitation
• Aiding skin conditions like eczema
• Helping with vitamin D deficiencies
• Easing aching joints

Ecotherapy at Hoar Cross Hall, Staffordshire

King Edward VII's Hospital writes about ecotherapy, deserving it quite simply as: "the practice of being outside in nature for its therapeutic benefits. It can also be referred to as green exercise or green therapy."

Whether you're exercising, gardening, meditating, forest bathing, or simply sitting, spending time in nature somewhere beautiful like Hoar Cross Hall (photo above), is good for us at any time of the year, and especially when it comes to helping to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder. our highly digitised world can leave us feeling disconnected with nature. Getting back to it can help to reduce stress and top up vitamin D levels, which are "required for strong bones and teeth but it’s now thought that a deficiency is linked to mental health problems such as depression, too." It's even being prescribed by GPs.

The 16th-century German-Swiss physician, Paracelsus, said: “The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.”

Many of us live at increasing distances from nature (in 1950 around 30% of the world’s population lived in urban areas. By 2018, that number was 55%, and, by 2050, it will be 68%). The upshot is not only a decrease in the number of us experiencing the joys of nature, but it has also meant that the healing power of nature is not readily available for most people in the world. However, even when it's chilly out, it's possible to enjoy the benefits of the great outdoors, from spa gardens to wander in (make sure you wrap up warm), to outdoor pools and saunas.