About half of Western New Yorkers are said to be at risk of SAD once the clocks are changed, the days get shorter and sunshine is at a premium. SAD is a mood disorder associated with light deprivation that can be alleviated by sitting in front of a SunBox for 15 minutes to an hour a day, Mangano said. Researchers say SAD is brought on with an overproduction of melatonin, the hormone that regulates the body's sleep-wake cycles.
Darkness stimulates melatonin production, which increases sleepiness.
Some speculate that winter's longer periods of darkness might spur overproduction of melatonin. Regular bulbs aren't bright enough. Owens, as a territory manager for a large automotive oil company, would visit 10 to 14 clients daily. But come fall and winter, my productivity would fall. Some days, client calls would dwindle to two and other days Owens wouldn't report to work at all and spent the day in bed.