SAD will a lights be a magic wand?

[Mossop17]

Hi everyone I've got sad and am feeling fed up of feeling crap for 6 months of the year. The constant battles within my mind are already causing me problems. I already take anti depressants and try to do me things like reading bubble baths etc but I need more . Will a sad lamp make much difference? I just want to feel well all year round:(

I’m pretty sure you can rent them from some places if you’d like to give it a try. It might be worth taking vitamin D and B12 too.

It can be for some people but of others it just helps a little.

If you work your employer might get you one for office use.

You can skip the SAD lamp (and the cost) and just take Vitamin D. 5000iu a day would be an appropriate dosage for an adult. Take a look at the Vitamin D council website: vitamindcouncil.org

Sorry that you are feeling sad and crap. I hope that the vitamin d helps.

I haven't got a SAD lamp but do have a daylight alarm clock which does a sunset function and take vitamin D oral spray daily and it has made a difference. Sadly not a complete cure but does make sleep difficulty and energy levels much better than they were before.

Urgh I'm with you on the gloom. I don't mind the winter but the loss of light is horrible.

Sorry, no help, just stopped by to see what folks are saying,

Not a magic wand but I've found it does help, especially with sleep cycle.

The Sad lamp is just providing you with vitamin d. Take a pill. It's way easier and cheaper and just as effective (if not more effective).

Have a listen to jeremy vine show bbc radio 2 from today on a catchup. There was an excellent piece on SAD and vitamin D.

I used a SAD lamp only for a couple of years and found it helped, but then I took Vit D too, and that really boosted the effect.

The light doesn’t provide Vit D, the frequency of the light it produces hits on the receptors of your eyes which reduces the production of melatonin (makes you sleepy) and in reases the production of serotonin (makes you feel awake)

Vitamin D is essential in the biochemical pathway for serotonin uptake, so if you are vitamin d deficient (as most people in the uk are), you are going to struggle to keep happy.

And sleeping well. Vitamin D plays a part in sleep regulation too.

@SofiaAmes do you work for a vitamin d manufacturer?! Five posts extolling its virtues seems a bit much ;) OP, I find a light clock really good, but the daylight/light simulator ones never did much for me. I bought a Philips blu light which made a big difference but key is starting early - so basically sept/oct when it starts getting darker, not waiting till its November and my mood has already got to hell.

No. My father is a world renowned researcher on cancer, longevity and aging and his recent work includes 2 papers on Vitamin D. He is 89 and still going strong, which includes many reminders about the benefits of Vitamin D, so I try to pass them on. Sorry if you feel that it's a bit much, but I would say clearly not enough if you are only relying on a light lamp and not taking vitamin d too.

By the way, it took 25 years of scientists telling doctors that xrays were harmful to the fetus before they stopped xraying pregnant mothers. Sometimes you just have to say things over and over again.

Hi OP

I get SAD and found the light a waste of money.

Then a friend who lives in a basement flat told me to get some of the filming lights you can buy on Amazon, cheaper than a SAD light!

I now have one in the lounge and one in the bedroom. I was going for cheap so the design of mine is poor but essentially it's a soft box light (that's the name of it) with a massive 80w bulb. I use it without the sheet cover. It brightens up the room generally, which I find much more effective than light reaching the eyes etc.

@SofiaAmes I am taking vitamin d but to be honest I've found it makes no difference, certainly not compared to the light. I'm sure it has other benefits but not SAD-related for me.

I think in general, SAD can effect people differently: in my case, time spent in actual bright sunny places during winter helps, and a high quality SAD specific light for at least half an hour a day. Vitamin d didn't do anything, the cheaper sunrise clocks didn't do anything, though I appreciate different things work for different people. The reason for the tongue in cheek comment about all your posts was skimming down I was surprised how many people found vitamin d helpful, since it hasn't been my experience of talking to other people with SAD, then I realised it was the same person x 5 which can give a bit of a misleading impression if you're not looking at user names. However, I'm glad it's helped your own SAD, and hopefully it may prove helpful for the OPs as well.

OP vitamin d didn't help me either

One other reason I got the mega lamps was I noticed that there was one room at work which made me feel better, the building team told me it was just the higher volt white light.

There are salons around the country with sun rooms but I can't see the point in sitting there for 30 mins, then back into the grey. Also can't afford it.

Being in the brightest light possible in daylight hours is the only thing that helps.

The Sad lamp is just providing you with vitamin d.

No, it isn’t.

You seem to be confusing bright light therapy with UV lamps. Maybe your dad can explain it to you?

@SomethingOnce It's too bad that you feel the need to try to belittle me in order to make your point. I hope it made you feel better, because it certainly didn't make me feel good. But in any case you are in fact incorrect: I am not confusing bright light therapy with UV lamps.

"SAD lamp" is just a term to describe a variety of light emitting lamps that treat SAD. No one should be using a "UV lamp" that emits large amounts of UV to treat SAD without consulting a doctor as it can be dangerous.

Here is a article that describes the different types of Light Therapy. Some people will do just fine with Vitamin D pills, but some small amount of people do not absorb the pills well and will need a SAD lamp instead or generally in addition to the Vitamin D. Also, most people are not diligent enough to follow the very rigid schedule required for the best SAD lamp results and the studies that I have read say that as a result therapy and/or vitamin d is generally more effective than the SAD lamps.