Anti-S.A.D. lamps a.k.a. light therapy units (lamps)

B

Betsy Og

Registered User
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feeling better with the few days of sunshine ????, it seems there could be a medical reason for this !!

SAD (seasonal affective disorder) or "winter blues" is apparently caused by deficit or overabundance (cant remember which) of seratonin which is a chemical formed due to sunlight etc. - the real detail is on vhi.ie

Anyway, a great treatment for SAD is supposed to be light therapy units (lamps) which simulate real natural sunlight (but with no harmful UV) and supposed to counteract the problem of the unnatural going and coming from work in the dark and having crap flouresent lights in buildings (back in the days man would have foraged for a few hours in the watery sun before going back to his 14 hour kip).

Anyone know where these might be sourced in Ireland? - have seen some on internet for about Stg£120+. Any chance that Lidl/Aldi & Co might have them on special ??
 
Betsy Og said:
SAD (seasonal affective disorder) or "winter blues" is apparently caused by deficit or overabundance (cant remember which) of seratonin....
Click to expand...

thats a seratonin deficit..
 


1. Have you talk to your doctor about this ?

beware of what you read on the internet esp when it comes to a product and its cures .....

2. What has convinced you that it works for you !!

3. Have you tried alternatives like maximizing you daylight hours during the winter?
Winter Holiday in the sun

4. I thought that sad was to do with the possible over production of melatonin during the winter due to the increased darkness .....


Zardebt!
 
Zardebt,

Re the internet and its dangers - I presume the VHI website is fairly reputable and its bottom line seems to be light therapy units work, generally. After that its a matter of finding a reputable retailer.

Did talk to doc, "wait until you establish a pattern" was the word - though I think the auld pattern has been knocking about a while. Who knows whether it would definitely work for any particular person but sure could be worth a shot. The only possible negative I've seen is that if you're susceptible to mania (as in manic depression - the "high" phase of the bi-polar cycle) then it could exacerbate that phase. Luckily I'm not so affected and anyone who is should be having expert treatment.

Winter alternatives - did try one week to break up the winter, probably helped but "eaten bread is soon forgotten", as for working day well theres not much can be done re that.

Overproduction of melatonin, underproduction of seratonin - could be either or both, as I said I'll leave the medical ins and out to the experts. Just interested in possible solutions.
 
I think that the point is that, apart from the risk of scams, self diagnosis (using the internet or other resources), particularly when it comes to mental illness (when the individual generally isn't thinking or perceiving things clearly), can be dangerous.
 
Its not the VHI web site that are selling the light box !! The concern was with the suppliers .....

what did you doc recommend ??

Not sure of what you mean by "wait until you establish a pattern"

How about going through the list that you find on the internet with him.......

I just find that for such a serious condition ...which it is for a lot of people buying a light box in Lidl/Aldi & Co would seem very strange...

SAD can often be triggered by depression and can have serious long term effects ...
which may require counseling or therapy ....just by buying a light box is like taking a painkiller for a headache without really understanding what is causing it .

Therefore trying it after you have consulted your doctor as in your case exploring its side effects, and what is the cause, is the right thing but I would be surprised if Lidl/Aldi & Co would supply this..

I remember having a chat with a Spanish friend where he found that he suffered from SAD in the summer when it was cloudy. When he went to the doctor he found out that it was his sleeping cycles that was causing it and a lack of routine so every one is different ......

as for working day well theres not much can be done re that....

Do you have the option for flexi time ?


Zardebt !
 
Well the Aldi & Co thing was obviously tongue in cheek.What I meant by the "establish a pattern" comment was that doc would prefer to wait for another winter and the same thing to crop up, whereas I'd be more convinced that it is a factor in my case.

As you can gather I do consult my doc on such matters and will continue to do so, all I'm saying is that if a doc is sceptical that neednt be the end of the story.

Basically such a lamp wont do any harm except maybe in the case I outlined. People put plants, candles and scents etc. around their house to make themselves feel better, now fair enough one of the lamps is an expensive "gimmick" if no more, but the guys on VHI think they can work, so if you buy a genuine one then you cant go wrong (if you resign yourself to the fact that is could be a waste of money). Thats why I'd rather not buy off the internet in this case though generally I dont mind doing business over the internet.

And if the lamp didnt work they I'd be on to the doc for more advice - I suppose I should have stressed that I'm not talking about full blown depression, just noticeable change in mood due to weather and experience of winter lethargy.

Flexi-time not such an option, and even if was then you'd be talking about v. early starts, very late ends or long lunchtimes (probably the best option) to catch the few rays going.
 
Speaking from personal experience, every year for the last 5 from about September, I used to have disturbed sleep patterns causing me to be awake most of the night, and needing to sleep late in the mornings to make up the time.

Last August, this kicked in with a vengence, to the point where it was affecting my attendance at work - not good in a new job.

Did the dreaded internet research, and an amount of reading on the side.

Let me to one of these light therapy units. Bought a light unit from an english site for £59.95.

I can honestly say that from day 1 of using it, I've had a perfect nights sleep every single night.

I'll accept any comments regarding psychological dependency etc, which is fair enough. But for someone who was taking 5-6hours to get to sleep to being asleep within 30mins every single night, it was definitely worth the money.

http://www.outsidein.co.uk/sadrange.htm#bodyclocks
 
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