Light Therapy For Seasonal Affective Disorder

We’ve already gone over SAD and this article is going to address the various forms of light therapy available to those of ius who suffer with it. As I’ve mentioned, seasonal affective disorder can be a very debilitating illness – but that doesn’t mean it’s an illness you have to suffer through. Unfortunately, light therapy and light boxes aren’t a guaranteed cure, but they are definitely proven to help the vast majority of people experiencing it. And that’s really all you need to hear, when you’re facing 6 months of depression you know you won’t be able to shake, otherwise.

It’s important to note that even non-SAD sufferers can benefit from light therapy. I meet loads and loads of Norwegians every year – they have nearly black winters up there, barely any sun at all – and most of them own light boxes. True, it’s a country of depressed people, but I think we can all understand why now! Imagine how they’d be without the light boxes! Right, so, some of these ideas are going to look and sound a bit strange – you’re just going to have to get over that part! Feeling silly is a lot better than feeling severely depressed. So take a look at the following products and have a think about whether or not they might suit you and your budget.

The Litebook Elite

This thing looks spaceage, doesn’t it? Kind of like Hal’s distant cousin… This light has a built-in timer with settings varying from 15-60 minutes and stays charged for up to 2 hours. Rechargeable, obviously!

Cost: $199

BOXelite Desk Lamp

This can be used all day if you pull the shade down, but you only need 15-20 minutes to get your fill. Can be used for any purpose, such as reading, etc. Quite fashionable looking, really. Fully adjustable, you can put it anywhere, even on the wall. And the tubes last five thousand hours!

Cost: $189

BriteLite

This one has 4 settings from 15-60 minutes, and is clever enough to end treatment automatically when you’ve finished treatment. It’s been around for two decades and has been the most scientifically studied light box on the market.

Cost: $259

Yeah, as you can see, beating SAD isn’t necessarily cheap. If you look at the cost over a 6 month time period – which is how long SAD can stay with you – it’s only about 40 bucks a month, max, for a quality product. And you only have to buy it once! I think they’re worth their weight in gold for many SAD sufferers.

xx Isabella