Light Therapy

Low Mood

The blues broadly describes symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. People who suffer from SAD become increasingly depressed in the winter, as the daylight hours shrink.

This isn't just an emotional state, it is a medically determined response by the body to inadequate amounts of sunlight. Light stimulates certain hormonal functions. Lack of daylight can give rise to low mood or depressionDepression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity..

SAD symptoms vary in intensity. Some people have a vague feeling of discomfort. Others experience intense grief or despair. Lethargy and fatigue are also common. Dr. Michael Terman, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, links SAD with overeating, carbohydrate craving, and oversleeping.

While anyone can be affected, this type of low mood is most common in young adult women. It is also prevalent in northern latitude countries, who report that approximately 3% of their population experiences winter SAD symptoms.

Light Therapy for Low Mood

With the rise of public interest for light therapyLight therapy or phototherapy consists of exposure to daylight or to specific wavelengths of light using lasers, light-emitting diodes, fluorescent lamps, dichroic lamps or very bright, full-spectrum light -- by a so-called light box. Light therapy which strikes the retina of the eyes is used to treat circadian rhythm disorders such as delayed sleep phase syndrome and can also be used to treat seasonal affective disorder, with some support for its use also with non-seasonal psychiatric disorders. in the 1980s, doctors became more inclined to recommend light treatment for seasonal affective disorder. For many doctors now, light therapy is one of their first treatment choices - it is easy, painless, and has no adverse side effects.

A 2006 study of 99 individuals compared the effectiveness of bright light therapy, dawn simulationDawn simulation is a technique originally developed to help treat Seasonal Affective Disorder, but can be used as a soundless alarm clock to wake up the body naturally. Typically, the treatment involves timing lights in the bedroom to come on gradually, over a period of 30 minutes to 2 hours, before awakening., dawn pulseResults from this investigation, published in the December 2006 American Journal of Psychiatry, suggested that high-density negative air ionization, dawn simulation, and a dawn pulse are as effective as bright-light exposure., and negative air ionizationHigh-density-but not low-density-negative air ionization can counter the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.. Bright light therapy brought the most successful results, followed by negative air ionization. The American Journal of Psychiatry found that dawn simulation, negative ionization, and bright light therapy were all effective in lifting symptoms of SAD.

The Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms (SLTBR) and the American Sleep Disorders Association (ASDA) have closely reviewed experimental and clinical evidence and agree on light's effectiveness to combat SAD or low mood.

Light treatment sessions include up to 30 minute sessions in front of a light boxGenerally, a lightbox uses light similar to daylight (5,000?-6,000? K), has uniform light strength on the glass pane, and has adequate light strength (in order to not strain the vision). either in the morning or in the afternoon. With just a few sessions, people experience an immediate lift in spirits.

Check the Bright light advisor to determine optimal times for you to use Bright Light.