SAD light therapy

If 50 Shades of Winter makes you bored, you’re not alone. Between the gray skies and gray mud and the paranoia that colors are something you just make up in your head, the dark winter days can be harsh.

Although it’s completely natural to feel less sunny in months with less sunshine, you may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) if the season has a significant impact on your mood and behavior.

SAD is a form of depression that most commonly occurs in winter and usually lasts until spring. It can cause a range of symptoms including feelings of hopelessness, fatigue and melancholy.

The good news is that science says there is a relatively simple treatment option that can help manage SAD symptoms: light therapy.

Light therapy for SAD

Light therapy treatment involves sitting in front of a special bright light (usually called light therapy boxes or light therapy lamps) for about 30 minutes a day. Most light therapy devices for SAD have an exposure level of 10,000 lux, which is about the amount of outside light you would receive on a cloudy day.

The light therapy device mimics natural sunlight, which can help improve mood and energy.

How light therapy works for SAD

Winter means shorter days and less sunshine. The theory behind light therapy is that exposure to light over time can improve the symptoms of SAD.

Jamie M. Zeitzer, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and co-director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Sciences at Stanford University, said light therapy has a positive impact on our circadian system, which helps regulate important things like sleep and wake cycles and is involved in virtually all brain and body functions.

“Many things are influenced by circadian timing and that’s why shorter days can cause problems for some people,” Zeitzer said. So when your internal clock doesn’t match your schedule, SAD can occur, and artificial light therapy can help.

“For some people, light seems to have a direct impact on mood. We’re not entirely sure why or how it happens, but we do know that you’re happier outdoors than you are in general,” Zeitzer said.

Light therapy for non-seasonal depression

Research shows that light therapy can have a positive effect on people with other types of depression in addition to SAD. A recent study showed that bright light therapy improved symptoms and alertness in people with depressive symptoms.

Another study of 22 women found that morning light therapy was associated with a significant reduction in perinatal depression symptoms.

Zeitzer noted that light therapy can treat symptoms of depression in some people, but does not cure the disorder. It is important to work with a healthcare provider (HCP) to treat the cause of any type of non-seasonal depression.

Read: Is it just sadness or is it clinical depression? >>

Is light therapy safe?

Light therapy is safe for most people, but people who are sensitive to the sun or light or have eye conditions such as glaucoma should speak to their doctor before trying light therapy.

The benefits of light therapy for SAD

In addition to boosting your mood and energy, light therapy is easy to use and won’t put an undue burden on your wallet.

This is convenient – you can buy a light therapy box online or in large specialty stores and do the treatment at home
Light therapy boxes are relatively inexpensive – you can buy one online for around $100
Some people notice improvements within a few days

The disadvantages of light therapy for SAD

To reap the benefits of light therapy, you must commit to the treatment. This means sitting in front of the light virtually every morning from the end of fall through spring. Remember that you should not look directly at the light.

It takes time and effort to see results, but the positive thing is that you can do other things before the Sunshine Box.

Talk to your doctor before lighting a candle

If you have symptoms of depression, talk to your doctor before trying light therapy.

“It’s important for people to see a doctor to make sure this is a possible solution, because what you don’t want is someone to have clinical depression that isn’t seasonal, do light therapy and it doesn’t work, and then have the depression get worse,” Zeitzer said.

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