Been dragging my feet. Wondering about what you guys use, how long each day you use it for, where you got it, what it cost, and does it work. Thanking you.
I’m broke and have shitty insurance.
I went to Lowes and got a full-spectrum “grow lamp” lightbulb, stuck it in a lamp, and my husband turns it on when he gets up in the morning around 6:45. I turn my face towards it, go back into a light sleep, and I get up myself around 7:45.
This is not optimal for the following reasons:
- supposedly there’s a specific single spectrum of light that’s needed
- you’re supposed to have your eyes open and be awake while the light’s on
However, it seems to work at least a bit. I never turn it on as early as I ought to (year-wise) I always try to wait til November, but I should just admit that I need it in October as well. I just dug it out of the closet a few days back, actually.
Could very well be placebo for me, but it’s better than nothing.
Thanks, Lasciel. Any other Dopers use a lightbox?
I use a Philips GoLite. I’m quite happy with it – it’s hard to be sure, but I think it’s been working very nicely for me. Plus, it has the advantage that you can set the brightness level – even the lowest setting is pretty intense. Although there are none listed on Amazon, I suspect you can find a used one cheaper online.
Good luck! SAD stinks.
I use this thing. I only paid £69 for it though.
Good things are that it’s robust and bright. Price is reasonable too (accepting that SAD lights are generally overpriced). Also, you can lay it down on its side, which is often more practical. Downside is that you can’t adjust the light output.
I am at this very moment using a Philips GoLite (their cheaper model). In the past I’ve used a gigantic full spectrum fluorescent lamp, but it was unwieldy enough that I didn’t use it as much as I should. This one is small enough that it sits on my desk so I can read silly shit on the internet while recharging my eyeballs. And it definitely works for me. My wife says I’m solar powered and compares me to Wall-E recharging each morning…
I tried looking up clinical studies on particular models, but there isn’t much to go on. At best, I found a very small study saying that the blue LED Philips Golite worked as well as bigger full-spectrum lamps. There is a handful of other studies evidence out there that blue light works more efficiently – i.e.a full-spectrum 10,000 lux dose is roughly equivalent to a blue light 750 lux dose.
I did a little more reading on the subject and found some plausible mechanistic support for the efficacy of blue light. To wit: your circadian rhythm is set by a population of special cells in your retina called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (IPRGCs) which are distinct from the rods and cones that are involved in vision. IPRGCs are maximally sensitive to blue light.
ETA: I also have this “dawn simulator” alarm clock. It has a light that gradually turns on half an hour before the alarm goes off. IME it has little to no therapeutic value, but it is more pleasant than a normal alarm clock.
When I worked in China, we were issued Phillips Go-Lights Blue to combat the effects of near-constant haze. I’m not sure that it was particularly helpful in my case, but it was easy to use and probably better than nothing.
I use a Phillips Go-Light LED model that I bought on Amazon for about $102. It’s very tiny so easy to set up/move around. I use it for a minimum of 2 hours a day.
I started using this one (Uplift Technologies Day-Light Classic 10000 Lux - $133) back in August when my mood started to plummet. I get this dread when the days get shorter, and this time decided to try light therapy. I feel like it has helped me and plan to use it through our very long winter. I do 25 minutes in the morning while on the stairmaster, with the light on a stand. I’m sure the extra exercise doesn’t hurt, either!
Based on my research, the larger boxes are more effective, the light needs to be 10000 Lux and it needs to come from above your eyes. I found most of my info on this site. While it is geared toward bipolar issues, the site also has other information, including a detailed overview of SAD light therapy with cites and links.
Hope this helps.
This is an excellent site for a broad overview, thanks. It’s important to remember that a lot of the data on lightboxes is still inconclusive but this site gives lots of links so you can delve deeper into the claims. I’d never heard of the claim that the light needs to come from above your eyes - interesting. I was using my small blue box on a the table but today I tried placing it on the back of the couch while I reclined.