let the sunshine in

September 28, 2006 9:18 AM

Has anyone had any experience with light therapy for SAD?

I'm looking for those of you who might know some more about Seasonal Affective Disorder and light therapy. Does the light therapy work? Which lights are the most effective without being the least costly, and where can I find one? Any and all related responses welcome!

posted by Lillitatiana to Health & Fitness (14 answers total)

A friend swears by the sunbeds in winter. Of course other methods may be wiser as skin cancer isn't a good trade off.
posted by twistedonion at 9:20 AM on September 28, 2006

full spectrum, I can't speak for cost but something to consider is you don't want to have to buy it twice, one time a cheap ass pos, and the second time the real thing.
As to effectiveness, I have a close realitive who finds great benifit from daily use during the darker months.
You may want to consult a physcian, if you have insurance it may cover getting a light box.
Large pharmacys carry them, medical supply store might
posted by edgeways at 9:33 AM on September 28, 2006

I went to Northern Michigan University, where it got quite dark in the winter. A friend of mine received a full spectrum light from his mother, and he claimed it helped.

They can be quite pricey, but he turned it on every night when he studied/drank and said it helped, not just with depression, but with keeping him on a regular schedule. It illuminated a lot more pleasantly than the fluorescents we had as well.
posted by JeremiahBritt at 9:34 AM on September 28, 2006

There is another thread on this still on the AskMe front page. In it I question the need for full spectrum lighting.
posted by grouse at 9:38 AM on September 28, 2006

From what I've read, light therapy generally works. Living in a place with long winters, I find exposure to full spectrum lighting in regular lamps and fixtures helps beat the blahs, though I don't suffer from SAD myself. A google search for "light therapy" brings up more than a few sources for light boxes. That said, it's also easy to find the proper bulbs locally at a lighting, hardware or home improvement store. As an extra benefit, they put out a more natural, pleasing color than normal incandescents.
posted by SteveInMaine at 9:42 AM on September 28, 2006

Someone else will weigh in with information about good options in the States (I live in the UK), but I will say this: yes, it does work and in my opinion it is worth getting good quality equipment from a reputable company. Outside In in the UK does free 21-day trials, I bet you can find somewhere like that in the States, which will give you the confidence to spend the money.

I have a 10000 lux lightbox (Pharos Vari) and while its hugeness makes it a bit hard to find a place for, the light is a wonderful relief. I often have an urge to hug the thing.
posted by teleskiving at 9:43 AM on September 28, 2006

A psychiatric nurse practitioner I spoke to said he believed that lightboxes were helpful for his depressive patients.

He made several points about how to establish a lightbox regimen:

1. It's best to do lightbox therapy first thing in the morning. He mentioned that some of his patients set one up at the breakfast table while they're eating/reading the paper.

2. It's all about the lux and its intensity. He said some people have tried to use full spectrum bulbs in their light and lamp fixtures, but that the amount of lux they're getting from that is too diffuse. He said people should sit fairly close to a dedicated light box for about 30 minutes with a 10,000 lux light.

3. Even in bad weather (I live in Portland, OR) he said a noon walk is a good supplement that seems to help even when there's cloud cover. Maybe that's just the benefits of some mild exercise when you're getting ready for a mid-day droop, but he said patients felt like it gave them a lift.
posted by mph at 9:45 AM on September 28, 2006 [1 favorite]

My mom had pretty severe SAD when was living north of the Arctic Circle, where the sun didn't rise for weeks on end and there was only an hour or two of semi-light in the sky for much of the winter. It didn't just afect her moods, it altered her menstral cycles and did weird stuff to her body.

I think she still had some issues with the special light she got from her doctor, but it did help abate her symptoms -- espeically the physical ones.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 10:00 AM on September 28, 2006

I've heard really good things about arrays of blue LEDs.

You can probably make your own rather than spending $300.
posted by dmd at 1:44 PM on September 28, 2006

Definitely buy good quality, and put it somewhere you won't forget to use it. It helped me quite a bit through the Michigan winters, and it was my first major purchase on my move to Ireland. First thing in the morning, not looking right at it, but glancing at it from time to time. I know exactly when it's time to stop - I actually get jittery if I sit in front of it for too long. But I have more consistent energy levels, I sleep better - I love my light! Good luck.
posted by dirtmonster at 3:59 PM on September 28, 2006

Check the other thread on this we had today. I've posted a link(sorta) to some research. In short, yes, it does work, but the effect is pretty minor, averaged over the population as a whole, or even the population of people who self-identify as SAD sufferers. OTOH, getting a little more sunlight, especially in the morning, can't hurt.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 6:58 PM on September 28, 2006

If you do decide to buy a lightbox, I recommend the Sunbox company. They were the suppliers for early NIH studies on SAD. They also have a 30 day return policy.
posted by underwater at 10:45 AM on September 29, 2006

I knew a lady who used a lightbox, she sat in front of it a while in the morning. Her husband used a plain flourescent fixture, and selected the light tubes by using a photographic meter in degrees Kelvin.
She went from sitting in bed and crying 6 months out of the year to being a real human being year 'round.
< /in our latitude, we have two seasons, summer and sad. sad is not a symptom, it's a season. we calibrate our winters by how many peoples' mothers' heads they find in a garbage bag various front porches. last year was a two head winter.br> < / Disclaimer: I couldn't make this up, I'm not that creative.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 12:32 PM on September 29, 2006

sad/SAD
It looked OK in the previews, sorry.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 12:35 PM on September 29, 2006