SAD lamps etc. - do they work?

[LadyOfRoffle]

There is no doubt I feel a million times better on sunny days so am thinking of kitting myself out with one of these lamp things. Do they work? What if you move rooms? Can anyone recommend one, or anything else? Can you get SAD lightbulbs? Thanks

i have had s.a.d for 7 yers now and have a had alightbox since then i got it from the national light hire company who hire them first to see how you get on then offer it to you to buy . i beleive it has really helped me and i try to find an hour in the morning to sit in front of it and also to try and go out for a walk at luchtime if poss.
mine is called the lumie brightspark,you should start using it from late september to see the benefits

YES they're awesome.

I recommend the Apollo Golite M2. It's very powerful, very small so it's portable and you charge it up. Because it's just in the blue spectrum (the one that the light receptors in your eyes that are responsible for SAD respond to) it uses very little power. You don't need to sit in front of it for hours - just somewhere between 15-30 mins.

It's early in the season for me, so currently I'm on a 7min dose in the morning - just enough time to have a cuppa!

It is also LED-based so you don't have the expense of changing the bulb yearly which you have to do with the big lamps as the spectrum degrades.

I've also slowly over time, replaced all downstairs lightbulbs with energy-saver daylight spectrum bulbs which helps too. They're hard to find, but BLT Direct online stock a good selection and are very reliable.

Oh, do be aware that just because it's "only light" that it does have potential side effects too. When I first started using it last year, I dived straight into full dose and ended up feeling giddy and nauseous for several days until my body got used to it (a rare side-effect, apparently - I was unlucky!).

Also, you need to find the right window of time to use it to be effective... too early in the day and you wake up too early next day. Too late in the day and you won't sleep well at night. I find an hour after waking is my ideal slot, but this is not always convenient!

If you normally have a lie in at the weekend, this can bugger your circadian rhythms somewhat - if longer than an hour more than normal, probably best not to use the lamp or you'll reset your body clock to the wrong time! But also not a great idea to skip the dose 2 days in a row.

At the moment, I just lie in an hour extra at the weekend but then have the dose immediately I get up instead (so keeping the dose at the same time) although this may change as I get deeper into winter.

Bodyclocks are really good as well.

Thankyou, I liked the bodyclocks but wasn't sure if they were for SAD. I didn't realise you could 'OD' on the light! I thought you actually left them on all day in the room your in rather than sit infront of them for a set amount of time. I can't have the lightbulbs as I put spotlights all 'round the house, but the dining room is able to take on so i'll sit in there more often! Thanks, will definatly be getting a bodyclock and an SAD light

I have both - they're both good for different things

The bodyclock is great for shifting your arse out of bed (but you have to want to get up - all too easy to roll over away from the light and sleep longer!! I have to consciously face the light to wake up!). The SAD light is great for keeping overall mood lifted.

The bodyclock is obviously cheaper, so worth having that first for a little while - that might be all you need.