SAD Light Lamp
Using a SAD Light Lamp all year round
SAD Light LampMany of us will have heard about using a SAD Light Lamp to lift our mood during the winter months. The acronym SAD denotes not just to the emotion that many of us feel in the depths of a dark and cold winter. SAD refers to Seasonal Affective Disorder which according to the NHS is a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern. SAD is sometimes known as "winter depression" as the symptoms are usually more evident and severe during the winter.
SAD therapy, SAD light therapy, SAD light lamps or SAD light boxes are just some of the terms that are often used to describe the process of using light as a therapy to aid depression.
But it is not just depression, low mood or Seasonal Affective Disorder that can be helped by using light therapy. Treating chronic pain with intensive light therapy has also been studied, which is of course of special interest to Fibromyalgia sufferers. Lack of sleep, depression and widespread chronic pain are common denominators in Fibromyalgia.
As reported in the Telegraph, Munich pain specialist Professor Thomas Tolle president of the German Pain Society explains that “Patients often note a reduction in pain if they have slept well and managed to relax…..We believe that the stimulation of the retina with this intensive light can regulate sleep naturally, and we are looking at a possible causal link between additional light, better moods and reduced pain.”
My Lightbulb Moment
Coming out of a gloomy winter, fatigued, in tremendous pain and sobbing daily my husband booked a last minute holiday to sunny Spain for us both. During that holiday my pains disappeared, I no longer felt so fatigued and so down that I believed life was not worth living. I soaked up the sun, lazed on the beach, relaxed with a glass or two of local wine, slept well and enjoyed a wonderful hotel experience. I already knew that Vitamin D was vital to feel well especially after a long dull winter. But what I hadn’t realized was that early morning light was essential for well being too. Regulating sleep via early morning light is of crucial importance.
The Importance of Good Sleep
As a lifelong light sleeper and more recent Fibromyalgia sufferer I knew that not getting enough sleep was key to my health issues. Without good restorative sleep I would be fatigued all day and consequently in a low mood. Low key stress would affect me dramatically and cause me physical pain. My body could not get the time it needed to heal during the night.
The BBC news recently reported that UK Government ministers were planning to issue guidelines on how much sleep people should be getting every night. According to a leaked draft of the plans having less than seven hours sleep per night has been linked to a range of physical and mental health problems and cutting short life expectancy.
A lack of good restorative sleep was reported in over 90% of Fibromylagia sufferers in a closed Facebook Group I belong to. Many people, myself included, reported just 4 or 5 hours sleep a night.
I needed to get more sleep. And one of the ways I could do this was by using a SAD Light Lamp. And not just in the winter months but EVERY day. And getting the right amount of light effects not only our sleep patterns but also our mood.
The strong, bright Spanish sunshine of early morning invigorated me. I needed to replicate that light when I returned home from my holiday. I began to research SAD Light Lamps whilst still on holiday and vowed to buy one the minute we landed back in the UK. I ordered it online and picked it up on the way back home from the airport.
How SAD Light Lamps Work
In the brain the Hypothalamus regulates our bodies sleep/wake cycle also known as our circadian rhythms. The Hypothalamus is also responsible for our mood and appetite. Many of us who are Fibromyalgia sufferers have major problems with sleep patterns, mood swings and appetite control.
Light or lack of light affects the Hypothalamus and thus in turn effects sleep patterns. Light exposure via the eyes sends signals to the Hypothalamus which triggers the brain to produce hormones such as Serotonin and Melatonin.
Serotonin is the feel good hormone which is often lacking in people with depression. Having sufficient Serotonin makes you feel more alert and awake and in a better mood.
Melatonin is regulated when it becomes dark. The darkness triggers the brain to convert Serotonin into Melatonin which makes it easier to fall asleep at night.
So light in the morning and darkness in the evening is very important if we are to improve our sleeping patterns.
So using a SAD Light Lamp every morning will improve your Serotonin levels making you feel more alert, awake and happy throughout the day. And then, as a consequence, you will have enough Serotonin to convert to Melatonin to help you get to sleep and keep asleep at night.
For me personally I found using and still using my SAD Light Lamp every day helps tremendously with my mood and ability to sleep better.
SAD Light lamps should be used in the early morning for a period of around 30 minutes and placed close at the side of the user, so that they can benefit from the strong intensive light with their peripheral vision and not stare directly into the light.
SAD Light lamps use as much as 10,000 lux (Lux is the unit of intensity light is measured in) and is much stronger in intensity than ordinary artificial light. Basically SAD Light lamps replicate the very bright sunshine of a blue sky day at the height of summer.
Do not worry that SAD Light lamps will be too strong for you, even; if like me you have light sensitivity. At the height of my illness, I had to wear sunglasses in supermarkets and restaurants that have strong artificial lights. The light emitted from SAD light boxes is very different to other artificial light and is very pleasant.