While the autumn and winter months bring cuddly weather and quiet, cozy nights at home, there’s also a downside. Shorter days mean less sunlight, which causes some people to struggle with low mood or seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Roughly 6% of the U.S. population is affected by SAD, while at least another 14% of adults in the U.S. deal with a lesser form of seasonal moodiness known as the winter blues. Research shows that light therapy via sun lamps is one key treatment that may help brighten their mood. Here’s what to know about sun lamps, how they work, and how to choose the best one for your needs. Bindiya Gandhi, M.D. tells mindbodygreen that these lights “work wonderfully by resetting and improving your overall circadian rhythm” during a time when your body may struggle to do so naturally due to lighting fluctuations. “Light therapy is not new, and doctors have long been recommending this therapy for many different ailments,” she adds. Sun lamps are also used to help ease morning blues, depression, lethargy, insomnia, and confusion. According to Lizz Kinyua, M.D., a physician with a focus on mental health, these symptoms tend to occur during winter and autumn months because when it is dark for the majority of the day, our hormones can go a little haywire. Sun lamps, Kinyua explains, “provide light just as bright as the sun to promote serotonin production and reduce melatonin production. When used continuously and in combination with other medications, they can be incredibly useful.” As Kinyua mentioned, the light suppresses the production of the hormone melatonin1, which signals to the body that it’s time to be awake and alert. It can also regulate your body’s internal clock throughout the entire day and into the night, making it easier to fall asleep. With their go-ahead, here is what to look for during your shopping: For example, a lightbox that emits 10,000 lux light takes around 30 minutes to elicit a response, while one that is 5,000 lux light takes about one hour to work, and if a lightbox emits 2,500 lux light, it will take around 2.5 hours to work. “The light you use should have an ultraviolet filter to prevent your vision from being impacted by harmful UV rays,” Kennedy says. “For this reason, it’s even recommended to use a cool-white, fluorescent light. However full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs still demonstrate promising results.” This model from Circadian Optics provides the recommended 10,000 lux of brightness to help the winter blues, regulate sleep, improve focus, and boost energy. It’ll last approximately 50,000 hours, which is longer than many fluorescent bulbs, according to the manufacturer. It also produces a uniform, dot-free stream of light that’s comparable to the noonday sun.
