Best SAD (Seasonal Depression Lamp) Light Therapy Reviews

Light is a natural regulator of the body’s rhythm. Your daily routine makes getting adequate light impossible. However, you pay for it with your health. The body is designed to spend most of the day time outdoors where it can also benefit from the sunlight.

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Researchers understand the great benefits light has on health and wellness. For this, they made great strides to come up with the SAD light therapy. Your lifestyle may restrict you from spending time outdoors. However, you can now benefit from the right kind of light indoors.

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What is Light Therapy?

Light therapy is commonly known as phototherapy. It involves exposure to specific light levels under controlled conditions. Light therapy is a popular treatment used for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) patients. Also, it is a treatment for conditions such as bipolar and depression.

During the therapy session, you sit near your SAD light therapy boxes. You can continue with your work or do your activities during the therapy. The light from the box mimics the sunlight. Thus, it tricks the brain into producing chemicals linked to sleep and better moods. That way, it helps treat sleep disorders, depression and other conditions.

Preparation

There is no prescription to using light therapy. You must talk to your doctor before you begin your therapy. They will be able to guide you so that you benefit and minimize any side effects. Your doctor will tell you the precautions you need to consider.

There are so many varieties of lightboxes on sale on internet and drugstores. You should familiarize yourself with some of the crucial features prominent in quality lamps. That way, you will get a high-quality product that suits your needs.

What to Expect During Your Therapy

For effective light therapy for SAD, sit strategically near your lamp. The light should enter your eyes indirectly. Exposing your skin only to the light will not yield the desired results. Again, the light can damage your eyes if looked directly.

Your phototherapy should be consistent. Also, ensure to follow you’re the manufacturer’s directions and doctor’s instructions. The session is simple. Place your light therapy box on a table in your office or at home. Then, enjoy the phototherapy while reading, watching TV or working. However, ensure to stick to a routine.

Elements for Effectiveness

Light therapy mechanism works by affecting serotonin and melatonin hormones. The hormones are essential in the regulation of your sleep and moods. You know of the sun’s rays triggering the production of Vitamin D. well, the light therapy also has the same effect. It also helps lower blood pressure. You will gain all these benefits when you effectively use light therapy.

But, what does best SAD light therapy mean? You will gain maximum benefit from your light therapy with the proper combination of time, light duration and intensity.

Lux is the measurement recording of light intensity in all lightbox. It helps measure the amount of light you are receiving. Your doctor will recommend how much light intensity you should receive. For instance, SAD patients are required to get 10,000 lux. The face should be at a distance of about 24 inches.
Your therapy sessions will depend on the light intensity. If your light intensity is 10,000 lux lightbox, then your session should be a maximum of 30 minutes. Alternatively, if it is 2,500 lux, your session will extend a bit longer. You should follow your doctor’s guidelines. Also, read the user manual carefully and follow the manufacturer’s directions.
You doctor can help you determine when light therapy work best for your body. Most people report of phototherapy being most effective when done in the morning. It is because it mimics the natural cycle of the sun. You should start wit short time session intervals and gradually increase.

Tips to Benefiting from Your Light Therapy

Although light therapy does not cure SAD and other conditions, it will ease your symptoms. It will also help you feel better and increase your energy. Besides, light therapy works fast. You will start to feel your improvement in a couple of days. However, to make it a success, you have to adhere to the following.

Buy a quality lightbox. There are varieties of SAD light therapy boxes in the market. To avoid taking home something you will regret later, ensure to do thorough research. Also, you can ask your doctor to recommend a quality lightbox. You will get to go home with one that has proper brightness, style and features that are user-friendly. Your selected lightbox should also be safe with the right light type.
Consistency Creating and sticking to your routine is vital for your therapy. It will ensure maintained improvements. You should do your sessions daily. If you find it challenging to do the sessions daily, you can skip a day or two. However, ensure it is consistent. Also, monitor your progress and moods. That way, you will be able to see what works for you and fix light therapy to your schedule.
Keep Time. For instance, a SAD patient may be tempted to stop the session too early into spring. It may also be tempting to skip some of the sessions during winter. However, doing so will result in the symptoms recurring. It is thus essential that they keep track of their start and stop period so that they can stick to it every year.
Seek other treatment if the light therapy alone does not seem to work for you should talk to your doctor. They will be able to recommend your medications. The light therapy for SAD will enhance the effect of the prescribed medication.

Best SAD Light Therapy Lamps Reviews

Everyone’s moods changes unconsciously depending on the surrounding lighting. That is why we feel moody during dull days. What happens when the gloomy days extend due to winter? It results in a condition called seasonal affective disorder. Also, conditions such as dementia, jet lag can be treated with exposure to light. Light therapy lamps offer the closest lighting to sunlight. Even better, they do not produce ultra-violet rays at any wavelength. Below are the three best SAD light therapy in the market.

Circadian Optics Lumos 2.0 Light Therapy Lamp

Are you looking to get sunlight everywhere you visit? Then this travel version of sad light therapy lamp is your answered prayers. Besides, you can position it to suit your needs. It is small but powerful. The light therapy lamp generates up to a maximum of 10,000 lux. You can, therefore, use it to treat various conditions.

The kelvin rating of the lamp is 5,000K. Thus, it will effectively mimic the sun’s light as daylight ranges 5,000-6,500K. The light is also a full spectrum. Hence, it has all the colours of the rainbow. Sunlight is full spectrum even though you see it as white. That is why when you look at the light through water drop, you see rainbow colours.

The lamp does not emit UV rays; thus, you can use it without the worry of UV exposure. The hinges in the light panel, base and the top make it possible to adjust it up to 360 degrees. Thus, it is easy for you to adjust it to suit your needs.

The bulbs are also edge-lit. The lap’s guide plate directs the light across the diffuser panel. Hence, it gives the full coverage appearance. Thus, light originates from the edges rather than the lights being back-lit. Instead, this would result in a bank of lights. Furthermore, it comes with a one year warranty which covers the lamp’s parts and labour.

Pros

It’s adjustable. The lamp features high, low and medium levels.
It folds down flat. The feature makes the light therapy lamp easy to store and highly portable.
The lamp is flexible. It can be adjusted up to 360 degrees. Thus you can adjust it to your desired position.
It has a narrow base. Thus, you have more choices of where to place it.
Charges through a USB. If you are a tourist, you will not have to worry where there are lights in your new area or not. You can charge the lamp using your laptop.

Cons

It does not have a timer
The light from the lamp decreases when the battery power is low.
The base is also very narrow; hence, it can easily fall.

Verilux Happylight full-size 10,000 lux Bright Therapy Full Spectrum Lamp

It is a high-quality lamp; many customers swear by it. Are you among the shoppers who prefer to have hundreds of reviews on a product before you purchase? Then this SAD light therapy lamp is your solution for the purchasing puzzle. It has 4.6 out of 5 stars.

It allows you to install no glare lenses easily. Also, you can adjust the lamp’s light intensity using the low and high settings. You are thus guaranteed high energy and comfort. Its broad surface area makes it very stable. You also gain maximum light therapeutic effect as you get more light per inch. It gives you full spectrum light without the UV rays. The full spectrum light mimics the sunlight. Thus, it helps the body generate the necessary signals which will help you relax. The signals are also important in promoting your focus and energy.

Pros

Tilt position. Thus, it offers flexibility. You will be able to position it to suit your needs.
It has high and low light intensity controls. The controls allow you to adjust the full spectrum light to your most comfortable level.
Broad surface area. It uses a large lens in delivering the light. Thus, you receive 10,000 lux within a short period.
It features wall mounting options. Thus you can hang it on solid walls if you do not want it to take up a lot of space.

Cons

It is expensive.

Aura Day Light Therapy Lamp

The most prominent feature of the SAD light therapy box is its in-built timer feature. The lamp will automatically switch off once your treatment is complete. You can track your light therapy sessions without having to time yourself manually.

It also features 10, 000 lux spectrum light intensity. It generates a soothing light that mimics the sunlight. High light intensity means that your sessions only last for a maximum of 30 minutes daily.

Besides, researchers recommend a minimum of 2500 lux to ease SAD symptoms. Thus, the lamp will reduce your symptoms quickly. The light is intensity is similar to that of the sun. It also allows you to adjust your lamps light intensity to the level of your comfort. The lenses can filter UV rays, both UVA and UVB.

The lamp has a unique design which makes it possible to use in public places. For instance, it features dual tilt angle. You can hence adjust it easily to your comfortable angle. You can also mount it on the wall. Thus, you can save up on the space it occupies. Besides, the lamp’s sleek and compact design makes it highly portable. It is also easy to store as it is easy to fold.

Pros

Great timer.
You can easily fold the lamp flat. The lamp is thus extremely portable and easy to store.
Very adjustable. You can adjust the light intensity of the lamp to be high, low or medium depending on your preference. The low switch on the lamp allows you to enjoy your sessions at your comfort. For instance, you can have the light on during your therapy but reduce the power of the lamp’s bulb.

Cons

It is expensive

Conclusion

You can ease the symptoms of SAD and sleep problems using light therapy. You can use quality light therapy lamps to trick the brain. Thus, you reap the benefits you would when exposed to the sunlight. It is a cost-effective and simple method of realizing the better you. The above information will help you in understanding why you need a light therapy lamp. You will also get to know some of the best lamps in the market.

Read Next: Red Light Therapy Device

Source: https://cosmeticnews.com
Category: Light Therapy

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