The first winter I lived in Minneapolis, I realized that during the winter months, I was a brand new person. I had spent most of my life living in western Michigan and the cloud cover in winter months is no joke. But in Minneapolis, it would be bitterly cold, but the skies would be clear and blue and the sun would radiate all day long. When we moved to Wisconsin, I tried to fight it, but my SAD took over and I found myself really struggling in the fall and winter.
Last winter, it got really bad and my husband ordered me a SAD lamp. I briefly mentioned it in yesterday's post and two whole people asked me about it, so here I am to discuss it. I have a Carex Day-Light Class Plus Light and I mostly got it because it has been the top of Wirecutter's list of best SAD lamps for several years. It's roughly $150 and considering the prices were closer to $1000 when I first moved to Wisconsin, I feel like it has been 100% worth it for me.
This lamp has two settings: a 4000 LUX, meant for daily task use and the maximum 10,000 LUX, which is therapeutic levels. It has a larger screen than most lamps, which is for increased effectiveness. The directions say to use it every day for 20-30 minutes soon after you wake up. You should sit twelve inches from it and you use it while you read (like I do), drink your morning coffee, or cuddle with your pet. My only real ding on the lamp is that it's pretty heavy, so it's not possible for me to move it around - where I put it is where it stays. The power cord is short and we don't have a ton of outlets in our bedroom, so we have a permanent extension cord in our bedroom from September through April.
And that's when I use it. I notice early in September that I'm dragging and I want to nap all the time. This is my cue to break out the lamp. And I generally use for a few weeks past the time change in the spring. After that, I can generally count on sunshine from the actual world to regulate my mood and circadian rhythms.
I've found that it's been really helpful to me. I don't LOVE getting up half an hour early to do it, but it's actually kind of a peaceful way to start my mornings. I nap a lot less, my mood is much more stable, and I'm much more eager to get out of bed. If I skip a day, I immediately notice that my energy dips. I dread traveling in these months because I know that I'll miss my lamp time. You can use some full-spectrum lightbulbs in regular lamps, but the oversized screen is actually pretty key to making sure you get the full benefit. Anyway, if you live in a place that doesn't give a lot of sunshine in the winter, this might be an option for you. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up from me.
If you have questions, ask away! I'm an open book about this.
Thanks for sharing. I've never used one, but have lots of the symptoms you mention in the winter months (I live in Eastern Canada and we get lots of dark in the late fall/winter)!
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine really struggles with SAD and she bought a special clip that fits onto a baseball cap and shines down into her face. I haven't researched it myself (but did see her using it one day). She uses it first thing in the morning while she's getting ready for work/eating breakfast and found it really helped her and allowed her to continue being mobile.
I used to struggle w/SAD and the lamp really helped. Mine was by Philips and it's very small and portable. I used it for a few years and then something changed and my SAD improved to the point where I kept forgetting to use it. The point is that it really helped when I needed it. So I'd really encourage anyone who has "winter blahs" to try one.
ReplyDeleteAh, super interesting. The whole reason I live in Florida is because of my SAD. I grew up in the midwest so I know those long, dark winters very well. Now I get so much sunlight, I can hardly remember what SAD felt like. Sometimes I think about living somewhere else and remember- oh no, I can't. But it's good to know there's a possible solution if life events ever do take me up north again.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this is a solution for you!
Thanks for your insights on this - so, it's not a lamp that you use "regularly", but you have to sit "in front of it" for 30 minutes to get the benefit, do I get that right? Or is this a lamp you could also have at your desk, for example, to get a little bit of "natural light" feeling during the day?
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have SAD, but I work in a dark corner of our living room. I have a desk lamp and I usually have to have it on during the day, because that spot gets so little natural light.
There are two settings - one is therapeutic (you need to sit in front of it regularly - every day), but the other setting is meant for daily task use. It's possible to replace your regular lamp with this one if you wanted.
DeleteI am so glad something like this exists for people who get SAD. Like Jenny, I live in Florida so I don't really have to worry about not getting enough sun. I really depend on that sunshine so I would probably suffer from SAD, too, if I lived anywhere else.
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