Category — SAD Lights

As a Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) sufferer I absolutely loathe the coming of winter. My normal moods and happiness levels tank, and soon I am down in the dumps and depressed for no good reason. A light box, apparently, is the solution for that. However, I travel quite a bit and it is not convenient for me to carry around a full size light box, so when I found the Litebook Elite (a portable light box) I was quite tuned in to the idea.

The Litebook Elite operates on batteries and features L.E.D. lights as opposed to standard bulbs. The L.E.D. lights have apparently been configured to send out the same kind of wavelength as the sun and hence produce the same beneficial results. It uses a rechargeable battery and contains a universal adapter, meaning that I can take it anywhere in the world and charge it- since I’m always traveling to and from Canada, that’s perfect.

Initial Impression

This little wonder cost me £150 and arrived four days after I purchased it. It’s relatively small size surprised me, but apparently these L.E.D.’s are quite intensive, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. It is recommended that you use the Litebook for 15-40 minutes a day depending on the severity of your S.A.D. I used it for 15 minutes a day.

It is built remarkably well. I’ve dropped it twice in the two weeks that I’ve owned it and each time it just bounced and stayed lit. No sparks, no complaints, not even a scratch. Very impressive. It easily trounced my early concerns that it would break the moment that I looked at it wrong, so I’m confident carrying it around in my briefcase.It seems to have good battery life as well. I get roughly 8-10 uses out of it before I need to recharge it. Plugging it into the wall and letting it charge is also quite stupid proof.

Usage Impression

This little sucker did exactly as it was supposed to, and I found that after my first couple of uses that my “down in the dumps” feeling was effectively removed. I felt a lot more alert and perky, and when I used it first thing in the morning it jolts me awake. No sluggish performance or dragging my butt.

One complaint that I have is that it can be awkward to hold after a while, but if you can place it on something and let it do it’s thing it’s just as effective.

Overall

I’m very impressed with this little unit, and for only £150 it was quite a steal. This is the perfect solution to S.A.D. treatment if you need something portable.

SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder. It is also known as the winter blues. It is often a serious condition that leads to depression and in some cases, suicide.

SAD is caused by lack of daylight and affects women more compared to men.To combat Seasonal Affective Disorder, SAD light boxes are used. A SAD Light Box is a powerful light source that gives out light which is much brighter than a normal bulb. The level of light is comparable to that of daylight. Most SAD patients report an improvement on using a SAD light box and many recover totally.

SAD light boxes are often considered the best and cheapest treatment for Seasonal Affective Disorder.SAD light boxes are often quite expensive, but you can make one at home if you wish. This is how –You will need - several long fluorescent tubes, a box (which is light in weight, about two feet long and 6 inches deep), electrical wire, electrical fittings, carpentry equipment if box is of wood, and a protective screen (transparent) for the front face.

1. For the light source, you have to use the long fluorescent tubes. The fluorescent tubes use only about a fourth of the electricity compared to standard incandescent light bulbs, and they last much longer.

2. You must ensure that the total light produced by these tubes is a minimum of 10,000 lux (of light intensity). Less intense light may not be that effective in treating SAD.

3. You have to fit an adequate number of lights in the box in such a manner that they produce 10,000 lux light intensity on your face at a distance of about 2 feet. It will not be comfortable if you have to keep your eyes at a closer distance.

4. Ensure that the box is well balanced. You wouldn’t want it to fall when you are lying down and enjoying the light on your face.

5. Ensure that the SAD light box is well insulated and the wires do not expose users to any harm.With just these standard material, you can get your SAD light box ready and running in no time.

It’ll be as effective as a professionally made light box, as the only important thing is the intensity of the light. So get the stuff and make your own light box. Even making one of these yourself can be a cure for Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD is a type of seasonal depression which affects millions of people every winter between September and April. It is a mood disorder. SAD is brought on by inadequate exposure to sunlight. But even if you or someone you know is affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder, there is no reason to despair. The helpful tips given below will easily aid you in driving the blues away and living a healthier, sunnier life.

Exercise can help a lot in getting the blood circulating freely throughout the body. All types of exercises help, whether light or heavy. Exercises can make you feel better immediately.

It is advisable to get adequate exposure to light. Whatever you do, keep yourself surrounded with light at all times. There is no better way to keep away the SAD blues as SAD is caused by lack of light.

Talk to the people you are close to. Meet them, call them or chat with them on the Internet. Confide your feelings in them and they will offer you adequate support to pull you out from the depths of despair.

To share your feeling with like-minded people, you can even consider joining a support group. When you share your experiences with others who are going through the same phases, you are sure to strike a bond and get helpful tips on how to combat this debilitating condition. Call your doctor and ask him/ her to recommend one for you. Or else, you can check on the Internet or in the telephone directory to find a good support group.

Ask your doctor if you need medication. Sometimes, in severe cases, this may be recommended. But these medicines take time to take effect, so you should also try out the other tips to keep your spirits up. Do not take any medication without consulting your doctor.

You can use SAD light therapy boxes or devices like dawn simulators to give yourself exposure to high intensity light from time to time. These have been found to be very effective in treating SAD.Finally, do something you love and enjoy. When you are feeling down in the dumps, that might be hard to do. But you can simply close your eyes and think what you would be doing had it been the middle of summer. Then you can go ahead and do it, if it is practically possible of course. Get up and get going. Do some fun activities. Meet your friends. Jump around. Smile, even if you don’t feel like it. After a while, the grin on your face will be quite genuine!

Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD, winter is a mood disorder. Most SAD sufferers experience typical psychological health all throughout the year, but experience depressive symptoms during the winter. A similar condition in the summer is known to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Seasonal Affective Disorder is often difficult to diagnose. Often it is misunderstood or overlooked. SAD is caused by an imbalance in the brain due to shortening of daylight hours and the lack of sunlight in winter. For many, SAD is a serious form of illness, preventing them from carrying out normal activities without continuous medical treatment. For other people, it is not that serious, only causing some discomfort, a condition known as sub-syndromal SAD or winter blues.

Recent studies have indicated that depressed people are generally more susceptible to the differences in temperature. Some researchers have attributed this to lower levels of electrolytes, essential minerals and salts in the body. Potassium is one of these. It has been shown that low levels of potassium can cause severe migraines. Lack of vitamin D and exposure to the sun can bring on SAD. SAD can begin at any age, but is rarely seen during the childhood years. Mostly it occurs in women who are above the age of 35.

Light therapy has been seen to be effective in most of the diagnosed cases of SAD. Light exposure (10 times the intensity of ordinary domestic lighting) from half an hour to several hours per day helps combat SAD. Ordinary light bulbs are not intense enough for this purpose. Whereas in general, the average home or office light delivers an intensity of 200-500 lux, the minimum recommended dose necessary to treat SAD is 2500 lux. Some SAD light therapy boxes deliver up to 10,000 lux. This high intensity can shorten treatment time.If any of the various symptoms of SAD is evidenced, it is highly suggested that the patient or his/ her near and dear ones should seek proper medical care. It might be something as simple as a chemical imbalance in the body that a small change in diet might swiftly fix. Sometimes a trip to sunnier climes or to a spa can do wonders to compensate for the condition. But in a few cases, it could be more severe. But all such cases can now be effectively treated. With the recent advances in science, SAD can be treated very successfully and the patients’ quality of life can thus be greatly improved.

I suffer from S.A.D. like a lot of others, and I don’t have the room for a larger light box. Working in an office makes it difficult for me to find the space to store a light box, and my apartment at home definitely doesn’t cut it. The Lumie Desk Lamp is the ideal compromise: it acts as a desk lamp and takes up the same amount of space, and it also doubles as a S.A.D. treatment lamp due to its bulb.I ordered mine for £170. I decided that being tired all of the time was annoying and that any method of treatment was better than nothing.

Initial Impression

Once I received the lamp I plugged it in, put in the bulb, and turned it on. It worked perfectly, requiring no configuration and starting right up. I wish that my car was as reliable.It is actually fairly attractive for a desk lamp, and it has a flexible neck that allows you to bend it and point it in whatever direction that you want. The lighting that comes from it is bright enough that I’m able to work underneath it, and I don’t find it so overwhelming that I have to restrict my usage with it.

Usage Impression

The recommended usage for the Lumie lamp is 90 minutes a day. At first, I had no idea how the heck I’d work that out because I don’t really sit anywhere for 90 minutes a day except for my office. Then it hit me: put it in the office! Replacing the lamp I used to have, the Lumie does a fine job. And, the best part of all of this is the fact that I feel better as well.

The spurts of feeling tired all of the time are gone, I feel perky and attentive, and I even find that my skin seems clearer. I don’t know if that last benefit is the result of the Lumie, or of my skin just tired of having the occasion spot of acne, but I’ll credit the Lumie either way since I’m quite happy with it!

Overall

This was a great purchase and despite the fact that this was possibly the most expensive desk lamp ever (£170) it is still a great value as far as I’m concerned. This lamp comes recommended from friends of mine, and now I also share in their opinion. A must buy for S.A.D. sufferers!

I’m not a big fan of blaring alarm clocks. I find that they scare me asleep as opposed to awakening me gradually, and when I wake up I’m in a sort of “panic mode”. It’s a very uncomfortable feeling. Yet, up until a friend of mine showed me the Bodyclock Sunray Dawn alarm clock, I didn’t even realize that there were other options that were less abrupt. I ordered mine and was gleefully awaiting its arrival.

Before I continue I should mention that the alarm clock comes in a fairly small package and doubles as a bedside lamp. These features, though not really important to me, are still great additions to this product that really expand its uses beyond “just an alarm clock”.

Initial Impression

The clock arrived eight days after I ordered it and was well packaged. It needs a 220-240 volt 60 watt bulb (which I knew in advance) and had already purchased for it. Setup of the clock is quite simple: take it out of its packaging, plug in the light bulb, plug it into the wall socket, set the time, and set the time you want the alarm to go off. It also includes an audible alarm that you can turn on or off depending on your preference.

When used as a lamp the light is fairly bright and is more than sufficient as a bedside lamp. I found reading quite easy, and it does get quite bright if you turn it up to the maximum brightness setting. Thankfully it operates as a dimmer so you don’t have to blind yourself all the time.It also includes a neat feature where it can go from being bright to dark in about 20 minutes to half an hour, which is good for actually falling asleep as well. It’s a feature that I’ve used more often than I expected.

Usage Impression

The alarm clock, upon activation, increases the intensity of the light over a period of a half an hour. It took me a few days to figure out when in that cycle I actually awoke, thereby allowing me to set the alarm accordingly. However, once I had figured that out it simply meant setting the alarm 10 minutes later.

The alarm works exactly as you’d expect it to, and I found it quite refreshing wake up under more natural circumstances as opposed to having an alarm blaring in my ear. It really changed my overall mood for the whole day.

Overall

This was a great idea and a great purchase. It is a tad expensive for an alarm clock at £55, but for me, it’s completely worth it.

At just £235, the Bite Box certainly seems like a bargain. It has 4 light tubes that produce ideal lighting conditions for treatment of S.A.D., and it can be packed up and transported quite easily (it assumes the shape of a brief case). It is advertised for office or home use and has a myriad of features that make it appealing.

Being a sufferer of S.A.D., I decided to try it out and order it. It arrived a week after my order and appeared exactly as advertised. There was no “installation” or configuration; it was literally plug and play.

Initial Impression

The build quality appears quite high, and I’m glad to see that everything is as advertised. This saved me from getting confused or having to make a complaint, as one of my fears with shopping online is that you never seem to receive what you were expecting.

The Brite Box also has a built in timer that is set at 30 minutes which is a very nice touch. This prevents overexposure, not to mention lets you know when your treatment is finished. I found that I just sat down, flicked on the time, and watched TV or read a book. By the time the unit had switched off I was already feeling better.

Usage Impression

Because the unit is so portable I also took it with me to my office. I sit in a cubicle for 8 hours a day as an insurance adjuster, so I don’t get a chance to get much Sun. Having the Brite Box on in the morning made it much easier to get focused and motivated on what I was supposed to accomplish for the day. In fact, the Brite Box has made me a better employee, as I arrive and am ready to go. It’s like an instant energy boost, and I’m glad to have it.

One thing I would like to see in the future is perhaps a different colored case. It’s not that I don’t like the silver/polished aluminum look, but I’d prefer something in a mat finish in some kind of black color. Either way, it’s a small complaint and certainly doesn’t detract from the capabilities of the unit itself.

Overall

At well under £250 the Brite Box is a great buy that is loaded with features. Its portability really expands its usefulness, and it does the job. What more can you ask for in a Light box?

A few weeks ago I posted a review of the Diamond 3 Light box, and after some careful consideration, I decided to sell it and purchase the Diamond 4 simply because I liked the idea of treatments taking a little less time. The Diamond 3 was a great unit and I still recommend it, but instead of 30-40 minute treatments I’d rather 20-30 minute ones instead.I purchased the Diamond 4 for £270, which is around £25 more than the Diamond 3. That extra £25 gives you an extra bulb, which is the entire point behind these dang things anyway.

Initial Impression

The Diamond 4 arrived six days after my order, and once I had it in my hands it was the same simple setup process as the Diamond 3. This time, however, I ordered the optional wall mounting brackets and did a bit of custom installation. Rather than have it sit on the floor or mount on the wall I mounted it above my shower. I am fortunate enough to be blessed with a shower that sits on the ceiling directly above the shower as opposed to being mounted on a wall.

I turn the Diamond 4 on when I walk in the shower, and since I spend a few minutes every day in there and it is reasonably contained I feel that it will work out well. It’s mounted in such a way that it won’t come into contact with any water, and all of the electric components are put into the wall and shielded in order to prevent me from getting one nasty electric shock.

Usage Impression

I found that my average shower length was 15 minutes, and while I was in there the Diamond 4 was on full blast. I noticed that the results were similar to my 30 minute sessions with the Diamond 3, and I can’t even begin to tell you how nice that feeling is. I feel refreshed, “alive”, and in charge. When I don’t use the light box I tend to feel sluggish and tired, so it’s great to shed that feeling during the winter.

It worked great when mounted to my shower roof, it never malfunctioned, and it didn’t mind the slight increase in humidity either.

Overall

I don’t recommend mounting the Diamond 4 in the shower unless you’re willing to accept the responsibility of something happening (as I was). It works great, and it’s definitely worth the £25 difference between the Diamond 3.

Sufferers of seasonal affective disorder have found relief successfully through the use of light therapy that closely mimics the natural light given off from the sun. Physicians and researchers tend to agree that the reason this method works so well is because of the inclination of the human brain to release certain “feel good” chemicals into the body when the eyes are exposed to the sun for regular intervals, most often daily.

Conventional household lighting will not suffice for the treatment of seasonal affective disorder because it lacks the sufficient intensity and luminance to be effective.

The luminance intensity of light is referred to as lux. Lux is the measure of how luminescent light is. A fluorescent bulb’s lux is a good indicator of whether or not it will be useful for the purpose of treating seasonal affective disorder with light therapy.

There are several recommended dimensions to gauge accurate dosing by and light intensity is only one of them, though when using light therapy as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder a relatively high intensity is typically needed to mimic the natural light given off by the sun.

The light intensity, or lux, recommended for light treatment is between 2,500 to 10,000 lux. This is the equivalent of an early morning to mid morning light. Comparatively, conventional household light bulbs emit approximately 50 to 300 lux.

Other means of gauging light dosing levels are light duration and the time of day of exposure.The time of day of exposure refers to the affect that light has on the human body in regards to what time of day it is exposed. For instance, the human circadian rhythm is affected by the manner of sunlight that is emitted during separate parts of the day. This makes sense, since early humans would set their entire schedule around the cycle of the Earth and the Sun by becoming energetic during morning light and increasingly calm as the sun sets. This time of day exposure can be used to manipulate and stave off the symptoms caused by seasonal affective disorder, particularly when a majority of the cause is from staying indoors too much.

Finally, light duration – the amount of time exposed to the light therapy or natural sunlight – is an important facet to consider during treatment for seasonal affective disorder. The current standard is generally 30 minute sessions of 10,000 lux. As expected, more time would be needed for less intensity.

Seasonal affective disorder can be treated in a number of ways. Many opt for prescription drugs or psychotherapy for relief, but others that are plagued with the affliction seek a more natural method of treatment in light therapy. Light therapy for seasonal affective disorder is generally done in the home under no direct physician supervision. The patient sits or stands in the direct path of a bright light emitted from a light box that houses powerful fluorescent light bulbs. The light given off from the light box is so powerful and close to natural sunlight that it helps the seasonal affective disorder sufferer’s brain release natural chemicals such as melatonin that will elevate mood and overcome the depressive symptoms of SAD.

As you may expect, there are several models of light boxes available that are specifically manufactured for the treatment of seasonal affective disorder. While price may be a main factor in the search there are other factors that must be considered:

• Ultraviolet light exposure – Look for light boxes that either shield emitted UV rays or simply do not expose the user to UV rays.
• Blue light exposure – Blue light exists at the far end of the light spectrum and should be avoided as much as possible due to its unwanted affects on the eyes and eyesight.
• Light intensity – Optimum intensity is usually around 10,000 lux. Look for a light box that can deliver this recommended dosage at more than just a couple of inches so that you can remain comfortable while using the light box.
• Size – Be sure to buy a light box that is the appropriate size to the area in which you will be using it.
• Light direction – Light therapy boxes should broadcast the light from above the eyes and from no other direction, thoroughly mimicking the direction of the sun

Light boxes for the treatment of seasonal affective disorder can typically be purchased over-the-counter without a prescription from a doctor. While they may be easier to find online, finding several in a store will give the SAD sufferer the opportunity to more closely inspect the light box to ensure that it may suit their needs.

Persons with SAD should consult their physician before starting a light therapy regimen. Some possible side effects include irritability, fatigue, eyestrain, headaches, insomnia, dry mouth, agitation, and nausea. Side effects typically subside quickly after discontinuation of the treatment.