I am, essentially, a solar panel

I’m not sure whether it’s always been this way, but it certainly feels like it. Either my brain doesn’t produce as much serotonin as most people’s or it’s just really efficient at reabsorbing it. Consequently, I feel like a different person for the six months from April to September than from the other six months from October through to March.

As we know, exposure to sunlight directly influences the brain’s production of serotonin, meaning that the more light is available, the easier it is to regulate our mood. Very bright days can lead to the production of eight times more serotonin than on cloudy, dismal days! Given this fact, you start to realise why I liken myself to a solar panel.

Last week I started taking a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) which works by blocking the reabsorption of serotonin in my brain. This, in turn, makes more serotonin available at my synaptic connections. It’s still early days, but so far I feel more like I usually do from April to September: a bit happier, more optimistic, and less anxious. It’s worth noting that I’m not getting an input of serotonin, it’s just allowing me to use what I’m already producing more effectively.

I’ve used a SAD light for almost a decade and have to say that it really does help. However, given all of the stuff going down this year, it wasn’t enough. I haven’t been able to rely on running to help with my mental health, so needed something else. I’m grateful to my GP for talking through my options and prescribing something that’s been effective.

So yes, I’m like a solar panel, but then we all are. Just some of us have better ‘batteries’ for storing the serotonin we produce.

Image: Newpowa