Can anyone recommend an SAD lamp? It’s only November and already the darkness is making me want to hibernate.

Preferably one that isn’t as expensive as a luxury villa in the Seychelles 🙂

Got mine years ago, so can’t help you with a specific recommendation.

What I can say is, get one! Mine changed my life (no really, not just hyperbole!).

APF

I have a Philips GoLite on my desk – it is nice and compact and will even run off its internal battery.

Google Lumie, they have a really good selection

Just go outside, or look out of the window. It’s free and really does work.

As above, we bought one a while ago when we moved to the UK. Its a philips one i think and we have an alarm clock version too.

Just go outside, or look out of the window. It’s free and really does work

Except for when the suns not shining!!! 🙄

Like most of the Summer then? 8)

… and quite a lot of winter too.

Can I interest you in some Snake Oil™ too?

… and quite a lot of winter too.

But not in the UK

Like most none of the Summer then?

FTFY

Just go outside, or look out of the window. It’s free and really does work.

Not when it’s dark it doesn’t!

I have wired up a timer to both bedside lamps to come on about 30 mins before I’m due to get up at 5.15. Nothing can make getting up at that time pleasant, but it helps a bit.

Garyglitter why the need to come on a thread just to be obnoxious? OP just asked a simple question about SAD lamps, which has been answered sensibly by everyone apart from you. Grow up man

Garyglitter why the need to come on a thread just to be obnoxious? OP just asked a simple question about SAD lamps, which has been answered sensibly by everyone apart from you. Grow up man

Its STW – what do you expect?

Just go outside, or look out of the window. It’s free and really does work.

I think you’ve totally missed the point.

Repositioning where you sit for work so that you’re looking out a window helped me a lot. I also make sure that if the sun’s shining I go for a short walk.
Makes a huge difference to me. I didn’t get on with the SAD lamp I tried as (I think) the frequency of the LEDs mixed with the frequency of my monitor was distracting. That was a few years ago though.

Garyglitter why the need to come on a thread just to be obnoxious? OP just asked a simple question about SAD lamps, which has been answered sensibly by everyone apart from you. Grow up man

Hey, maybe you should ask for a SAD lamp for Christmas, it might cheer you up. 🙄

In all seriousness, our lab has been doing studies for the past three years into the effectiveness of these things and have found that they don’t actually work. I really don’t like SAD lamps because of this.

I don’t mind travellers, Chain Reaction Cycles delivery times, motorway drivers, overpaid footballers, nor all the other things people whinge about on here. Just SAD lamps. 😆

Oh, and you spelled my name wrong… 😥 Should I get angry about that? Grow up woman!

Interesting for the future

our lab has been doing studies for the past three years into the effectiveness of these things and have found that they don’t actually work.

Who’s been paying for that? I know a lot of people who swear by them, so clearly they do work for some.

Its a Placebo however it helps the user feel that is works. Therefore it works.

How is being woken up by ‘natural’ light be a placebo? It’s not a tablet that’s claiming to make you feel better in the morning.

Whats natural about it?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PFiVndKAtg

‘Bang Goes the Theory’, the effects of light

Whats natural about it?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That’s why I put natural in quotes. It’s meant to simulate natural light. No need for the dramatic exclaimation marks 🙄

I hit the exclamation key as I passed out from amazement. I’m just wiping the dribble from my chin

you dribble? is it the drugs?

Interested to hear the research GG – my wife got a SAD box a few years back and definitely got out of bed easier (by my scientific measurement of how many times I had to tell her to get out of bed for work 🙂 ) – obviously could be a placebo so I’m keen to see the research.

FWIW, I found it ‘worked’ on me too – if I sat next to it for a while in the evening, I felt very wide awake – obviously could be placebo again…

I’d be interested to hear about your research to GlitterGary, I’ve read a few papers on the subject, and their research methods seem fairly OK to me (generally small sample sizes though) and they seem to come to the conclusion that light therapy has beneficial effects over what you’d expect from a placebo….

I think there’s two different products being talked about here.

One is the light alarm clock which fades in to replicated being woken by the sunrise.

The other is a big bright lamp that you put on your desk or sit next to for a portion of the day.

I think anyone who comments on experience or research should differentiate between them.

For clarity, I was talking about the bright desk lamp.
I haven’t tried a fade-in alarm one, but I guess I’d like to.

Its a Placebo however it helps the user feel that is works. Therefore it works.

I know it’s pointless asking Hora for references to back up his wild claims, but we live in hope.

Look – the ceiling has loads built in for you 😉

I don’t know whether they’re still in business but I once purchased some ‘daylight’ spectrum fluorescent tubes from a company called Full Spectrum Lighting. Strikes me that it might work out cheaper to buy a few of those and fit in a standard fluorescent ballast than splashing out for a SAD light. Might be wrong though as they were more than double the price of standard tubes.

I already have one thank you and mahoosive one at that which I’m now using every day and it does make me feel better. Perhaps your research is flawed.

I’ve been hanging around here too long to care if I’ve spelt your name wrong and something tells me you don’t care particularly either. 😛 😀 🙄 Perhaps it’s this dive dragging me down 8)

Helped me greatly. Don’t care if it’s pyschological or actual, it has made a big difference.

EDIT – I’m talking about the fade in wake up light, not the SAD therapy light.

I don’t know whether they’re still in business but I once purchased some ‘daylight’ spectrum fluorescent tubes from a company called Full Spectrum Lighting. Strikes me that it might work out cheaper to buy a few of those and fit in a standard fluorescent ballast than splashing out for a SAD light. Might be wrong though as they were more than double the price of standard tubes.

I don’t think the luminosity of daylight spectrum bulbs/tubes is enough to be of therapeutic value for SAD. (300-500 vs 10,000 lux)

I went down the timer socket and lamp route. Much more plesant waking up at 6am to a light room, I just got a ‘warm’ energy saving bulb and point at at a vaguely yellow wall and set the timer for 5min before my alarm goes off.

Thanks for the suggestions. Lumie looks like what I think I’m looking for.

Lumie also used to do 30 day trial and money back if not happy so dont think you can go wrong with that really.

I don’t think the luminosity of daylight spectrum bulbs/tubes is enough to be of therapeutic value for SAD.

I see. Everyday’s a school day and all that.

They were never used for the treatment of SAD, merely used for illuminating a room where paints were mixed.

I think the latest research says that the biggest benefit comes if you use them early morning (the big boxes with >10k lux output), to simulate the sunrise and stimulate your body to wake up properly.
it’s the blue light that helps, so normal office / room lights are fairly useless as they are “warmer” and so contain a lot less blue.

Intensity helps too, office lights are usually about 300 to 500 lux, SAD boxes about 10k lux, a bright sunny day (even in Scotland) is > 100k lux.