Seasonal Affective Disorder
Seasonal affective disorder is a condition that affects some people when the seasons changes. For these people, changing seasons leads to depression, loss of energy, sleeping too much, and an unusual craving for starchy and sweet foods. Although seasonal affective disorder is not completely understood, researchers think that it is related to changing levels of sunlight. This is because most people with seasonal affective disorder develop symptoms during the winter, and because this condition is more common for people in the U.S. that live in northern states.
Light Therapy
Because seasonal affective disorder appears to be triggered by changing levels of sunlight, some people find relief from their symptoms by utilizing light therapy. The lights used for seasonal affective disorder light therapy are designed to deliver intense beams of light at specific wavelengths that help mimic sunlight. Because it is not well understood what causes seasonal affective disorder, researchers also don't completely understand how these seasonal affective disorder lights help relieve the symptoms. However, these lights do provide relief for some patients, and some prefer this treatment to moving to sunnier climates or taking antidepressants.
Features
There are a wide variety of lights that can be used to treat seasonal affective disorder. It is important to look for light boxes that are specifically designed to treat seasonal affective disorder. Also, find a box that is able to deliver the right intensity of light (10,000 lux) when you are a comfortable distance away from the device. An important safety feature is making sure that your light filters out UV light, which can be damaging to the skin.
Finally, one thing to consider is the use of blue light. Some light therapy boxes use a narrow range of blue lights, which may be more effective at treating seasonal affective disorder. On the other hand, blue light can damage the eyes, so it is important to avoid looking directly at this type of light.
