Full Answer
What is the best light for light therapy?
- Best Light Therapy Lamp Overall: Verilux HappyLight Luxe LED Lamp
- Best Light Therapy Lamp For Your Desk: Beurer Light Lamp
- Best Light Therapy Lamp According To Most Doctors: Northern Light Technologies Boxelite-OS 10,000 Lux Bright Light Therapy Light Box
- Best Compact Light Therapy Lamp: Circadian Optics Light Therapy Lamp
What is light therapy and how does it work?
Overview. Light therapy is a way to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and certain other conditions by exposure to artificial light. SAD is a type of depression that occurs at a certain time each year, usually in the fall or winter. During light therapy, you sit or work near a device called a light therapy box.
How does bright light therapy helps you sleep?
What Bright Light Therapy Can Treat and How
- Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome (SDPS)
- Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome (ASPS)
- Jet Lag
- Shift Maladaptation Syndrome
- Age-Related Sleep Maintenance Insomnia
What is light therapy and is it right for You?
5 Carex Day-Light Classic Plus Bright Light Therapy Lamp - 10,000 LUX At 12 Inches - LED ... It also provides a full dosage of light from 12 inches away, which is ideal if you prefer not to sit right next to it. If you’re looking for a lamp that ...
How Does Bright Light Therapy (Phototherapy) Work?
Especially in seasonal depression, it has been determined that its efficacy may be related to its effect on biological rhythms and its effect may occur through monoaminergic and melatonergic mechanisms.
How Is It Applied?
Especially in the early morning hours, 10,000 lux half-hour or 2,500 lux 2-hour applications are the most common applications and the effectiveness has been shown to be higher at these doses and durations. The application period is 1 week. During the application process, the person does not look directly at the light source and sits on his side.
Are There Any Side Effects?
It has no serious side effects. However, it has been reported that when used at high doses and durations in mood patients, it may cause manic switches. It has been suggested that it may cause nausea and headache due to the increase in the dose or the prolongation of the duration. No harmful effects on eyes have been observed.
In What Situations Can It Be Used?
This method of treatment is used in seasonal mood disorders along with drug therapy. It has been used especially in cases of depression that occur depending on the season. It was later found to be effective in non-seasonal depression situations.
About Author
I was born in Sweden but came to America to study. I'm doing my master's degree on Emdr here. I love to explore different psychotherapy methods and share this information. For your questions, you can contact me at my e-mail address.
What is bright light therapy?
Bright light therapy is a treatment for people who have circadian rhythm sleep disorders. Your body has an internal clock that tells it when it is time to be asleep and when it is time to be awake. This clock is in the brain just above an area where the nerves travel to the eyes. This area is called the suprachiasmatic nucleus or SCN.
How does artificial light affect the body clock?
Artificial light may be used to affect the body clock in the same way that sunlight does except we often get exposed to artificial light when we normally have darkness . Light therapy can help someone “reset” a clock that is off. Regular sleep patterns help to keep the clock set at the new time.
What is light therapy?
Light therapy, also known as phototherapy and bright light therapy, is a therapy used to treat a variety of mental health conditions. Primarily, it's used to treat a common type of depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is also known as the winter blues or seasonal depression. Light therapy may also be helpful as a therapy ...
What are the side effects of light therapy?
The reported side effects of light therapy include eyestrain, headache, irritability, or nausea. These adverse impacts are usually minimal and cease when the device is turned off or after a few days. Moving away from the lightbox or shortening the duration of treatment can mitigate adverse issues.
Why do people use lightboxes?
Research has also found that using a lightbox in conjunction with other therapies yields better management of symptoms. 5 . The influx of bright light that light therapy provides is believed to prevent the mood lowering that can happen when living in an environment that only provides dim levels of light.
What is the lux of a light source?
In other words, the lux value is the strength of illumination a light source has on a square meter surface, a meter distance away from the light. For comparison, ambient daylight typically ranges from 10,000 to 25,000 lux, sunlight clocks in from 32,000 to 100,000 lux, and an overcast day provides around 1,000 lux.
How long does it take to get a light?
However, it is important to follow the manufacturer's recommendations with respect to the actual distance needed to get the proper amount of light in 30 minutes. Some manufacturer's note a distance of 6-12 inches, so if it is 12 inches, for instance and the person sits 24 inches away, it would take an hour.
When to start light therapy for SAD?
If you have SAD, you'll likely start treatment in the early fall and continue throughout the winter, taking a break during the late spring and summer months. Researchers aren't entirely sure how or why light therapy works, but studies show that the treatment does offer relief of symptoms for many people. 4 .
Can light therapy be used for psoriasis?
Note that light therapy can also be used to treat a variety of skin conditions such as psoriasis. However, while these lamps intentionally emit ultraviolet (UV) light, light therapy devices for mental health conditions are made to block UV rays as they can be harmful to the skin and eyes if absorbed in excess.
A form of light therapy used to reset the circadian clock
When the clock functions properly, you are asleep at appropriate times, and awake when you do your normal activities. When it is thrown off, bright light therapy can come into play. This is a form of light therapy that is designed to reset the clock and make sure that it gets back on schedule without the use of medications.
Bright light therapy also helps for mood disorders
One thing to note is that this form of therapy is one that has professional medical evidence backing it. Places like The Mayo Clinic, Mercola, and others have run information about this form of therapy.
Why use bright light therapy lamps?
Research conducted in 2005 found bright light therapy lamps can be used to help treat a wide range of issues and disorders. For example, the research found exposure to bright light therapy in the morning helped patients manage sleep disorders, develop regular sleep cycles, and sleep through the night.
When to start bright light therapy?
When first beginning bright light therapy, start with short treatment sessions, gradually increasing as you see fit. Most users with Seasonal Affective Disorder start treatments in the early fall when cloudy days become more regular. Those with fall/winter depression may start earlier in the year and continue after rainy seasons if their condition is more severe.
How long does light therapy help with depression?
A review article published in 2005 by Mount Sinai School of Medicine collected and reviewed various studies of light therapy and its effects on non-seasonal depression. The review found that light therapy achieved what antidepressant drugs did in as little as one week compared to 4-16 weeks.#N#27 patients with nonseasonal MDD were given seven days of light therapy and obtained a 24% benefit to light therapy over dim light. Another study used 3,000-4,000 LUX ceiling lamps on 28 unmedicated patients and resulted in a depression rating scale improvement of more than 50% in 17 of those cases.#N#In a blinded trial, 29 inpatients with non-seasonal recurrent MDD achieved a 64.1% increase in rating scores after three weeks of two hour 5,000 LUX morning light treatment. These results proved to be similar to those who received 150 mg of imipramine per day or a combination of light with imipramine.#N#A five week study treated outpatients with chronic MDD of over two years with morning bright light therapy. The study found a remission rate of 50% while a control group given low-density negative air ionization achieved only minor improvement.
How does light therapy help jet lag?
One study found light therapy to be an effective method to prevent jet lag. The study found bright light therapy to be effective in creating a advance or delay in circadian rhythms, known as a "phase shift.".
How does lack of light affect your sleep?
Lack of light can affect your circadian rhythm, which is your body’s 24-hour sleep wake cycle. Sun exposure stimulates the hypothalamus in your brain which helps you control your circadian rhythm. When your circadian rhythm is dysregulated, your brain may produce too much melatonin (the sleep hormone) and less serotonin (a happiness hormone responsible for stabilizing your mood and feelings of well-being). So in short, lack of light causes you to feel tired and unhappy.
What are the pros and cons of using a light therapy lamp?
PROS. CONS. - Noninvasive: Light therapy lamps offer a noninvasive method for treating ailments such as SAD. Users only have to sit in front of them for 30 minutes per day and many bright light therapy lamps can double as task lamps.
What are sad lamps?
Bright light therapy lamps, also known as sad lamps or happy lights, provide an artificial alternative to natural light that can help solve this common problem.
