We get the winter blues around here, and with the clocks not getting turned back until much later in the year, we’ve been extra grumpy about having to rise and shine in the pitch black darkness.
The school nurse mentioned light therapy or using a dawn simulator (she called it a SAD light).
Anyone ever used one? Do they work/help?
I use a high-intensity lamp, which I sit in front of in the mornings for 20-30 minutes. I think it helps - I’m still sleepy during the day (which is my main symptom) but it’s not as bad as it has been in the past, before I started using the lamp.
IME, a dawn simulator definitely helps, and a light box is a moderate help.
My problem with the light box is that if I’m close enough to it to get the full clinical dose of light, I find it annoyingly bright. So I end up leaving it on but sitting farther away, so I probably get some benefit but not as much as I would if I were to use it correctly. Still, it falls into the “worth a shot” category.
I got my dawn simulator and light box (I’m currently using the light box that looks like a desk lamp) from The Sunbox Company. They’re kind of expensive, but for me they were worth it.
Yes, I use both, and both help tremendously. In fact, I’m late getting my high-intesity light out this year… I’ll go do it now.
I cannot function if I try to wake up before sunrise too many days in a row - say 4 or 5. If I use my Sunrise clock, I’m OK, but I’m better with a combo approach.
I love my dawn simulator. I got it via Amazon through a company called BioBrite. Yes, it’s pricey (~$120), but utterly worth it. Having to wake up before dawn (or even after dawn but before it’s truly sunny) is so difficult, and this clock has made a world of difference.
I haven’t tried a light box, but I’ve never been truly diagnosed with SAD, so I’ve never looked into one.
Here’s the therapy light Dr. Brown (who wrote When Your Body Gets the Blues) currently sells on her website.
I haven’t tried a dawn simulator precisely, but I made sure to get a room with an east facing window to get as much of the real thing as possible. It seems to help, and I find that when the sun is pouring in my window, I can’t even sleep in if I want too. It’s a fair trade off for being able to get up for classes…
I also have a high intensity light, using the same sort of 20-30 minute morning exposure that others reported. Haven’t used it since last winter, but it also seemed to help. I tended to get more stuff done in a day, and was generally happily productive. I wish I had more than anecdote though… sadly, I don’t have a proper control for myself.