I bought a "light therapy" lamp and it's good

[Ecdysis]

I bought a 15,000 lux "light therapy" lamp used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder and I'm finding it pretty helpful as regards depression.

Anyone else tried it?

 

[No More]

Never tried but I’ve always thought hard about whether I’d benefit from one of the ‘light therapy’ alarm clocks as I really struggle through the winter with the lack of light.

 

[Ecdysis]

I tried 2 lamps (15,000 lux) each and one of the alarm clocks.

Insterestingly enough, the two lamps were not equally bright... So I chose the brighter one.

The alarm clock I tried simulates sunrise and you could also pick a noise like birds chirping.

It wasn't as bright as the actual therapy lamps tho - I don't think that's where it's benefit lies.

My impression (and it's what my pdoc said too - he uses one too) is that it's a "gentler" way to wake up because the light slowly gets more intense and you can set the bird chirping or stream burbling sounds quite low, so it's not like a regular alarm clock "jarring" you out of sleep, and because the wake up is more gentle, your body and brain are better able to "finish" the 90 min sleep cycle you're in so you wake up feeling less groggy than when an alarm slams into the middle of a sleep cycle...

So, say you need to get up at 7 am to get ready for work, you'd set the sunrise-alarm-clock to 6 am, letting it gently wake you up and also set your regular alarm for 7 am, just to be on the safe side, in case you sleep through the sunrise/birds chirping thing...

The lamps I tried were $40 and $70 (I picked the brighter one which cost $70) and the alarm clock was $30.

I remember them being much more expensive in the past, so was pleasantly surprised by the cost.

 

[Friday]

Artificial lights have never helped me. True light? Yep.

 

[beaneeboo]

I have one in the kitchen for the winter... it's a darker room at the back of the house...I feel like I feel better for having it... and what's more I can see what I'm doing alot better!

 

[Freddyt]

Artificial lights have never helped me. True light? Yep.

Same. This time of year though? Theres barely 8 hours sunlight, and we still have a month of days getting shorter to go until they get longer again.

 

[AngelKeeperJ]

Thank goodness we are all different and what works for some doesn't work for others. Admittedly, perhaps just believing it will help can make it so.

 

[Nessa7]

I've been using them for a few years, and I think it helps me. At least, whenever I've decided that I don't need to use it, my depression gets worse until I start using it again. I try to get a little bit of sun in the morning, but it isn't always practical.

 

[AngelKeeperJ]

I try to get a little bit of sun in the morning, but it isn't always practical.

Exactly! ANY kind of bright light in the dark of winter is better than none

 

[Ecdysis]

I don't know about the others who are using/ have used a therapy lamp... But I don't actually find the (electric, fake, bright) light as "pleasant". Of course sunshine and natural light are a thousand times "nicer". The therapy lamp is kind of glare-y. But it has an effect on my brain. The brightness seems to be a signal to my brain, much like a "chemical" anti-depressant might be, to go into a different, less depressed mode.

 

[Friday]

I don't know about the others who are using/ have used a therapy lamp... But I don't actually find the (electric, fake, bright) light as "pleasant". Of course sunshine and natural light are a thousand times "nicer". The therapy lamp is kind of glare-y. But it has an effect on my brain. The brightness seems to be a signal to my brain, much like a "chemical" anti-depressant might be, to go into a different, less depressed mode.

The expense of a 1,000+ watt water cooled MH (metal halide) grow lamp (around $800-$2500, the last time I went shopping) might be worth it, to you.

Bulbs without integral water cooling run as cheaply as $25-$500

Or, if you don’t despise the horrid orange glow, like I do (shudder, hard pass)an HPS (high pressure sodium) lamp is both much less expensive, and much much cooler. Naked MH bulbs will kick an average sized room up over 100F-120F degrees in less than an hour, but HPS will rarely raise the temp more than 10degF. I truly despise these lamps, but I know a lot of people who looooove feeling like they’re “on mars”, when they’re in a room with one. Not me.

Light therapy lamps -in comparison- are super cheap / low wattage / low or no UV… but the partial “full” spectrum, causes what we interpret as harsh glare. Because the spectrum suddenly/abruptly cuts off, sorta like light reflected off of snow is harsher than direct light, as the refraction changes the way our eyes/brain interact with it.

MH Grow lamps are waaaaaay more expensive (both initial cost, and your electricity bill), and you’ll need sunscreen for the UV, but they put a smile on nearly everyone’s face as they walk into a room with one. Even a room with zero plants in it. The additional OOMPH of a whoosh of oxygen, if your light is in a greenhouse/grow room? Can make it difficult to pry people OUT of the room. Especially in winter. Back when I had my own place/garden, I used to come home to find people I’d given keys to stretched out on beach towels, wearing sunglasses, reading a book in the aisles!!! Oy! Not even a text?!?

 

[Freddyt]

MH Grow lamps are waaaaaay more expensive (both initial cost, and your electricity bill), and you’ll need sunscreen for the UV, but they put a smile on nearly everyone’s face as they walk into a room with one.

I wonder if full spectrum LED grow lamps would do the same? They run a little cooler and they don't suck al the electricity out of the neighborhood.