Whether you are an avid hiker, someone who hates to miss their morning workout, or just someone who doesn’t like seasonal changes – winters are tough for all of us. Freezing temperatures, gloomy weather, and inadequate sunlight can feel a little personal!
However, winters are particularly hard for those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD is a form of depression that affects people in winter and can cause severe mood and behavioral changes.
If you deal with SAD, soaking in the required amount of light from an artificial source might help relieve your depression symptoms. SAD symptoms are usually caused by a lack of exposure to sunlight during the winter months. Using a SAD lamp, you are simply tricking your body and mind into thinking it’s a beautiful sunny day.
In this post, we will dive deeper into whether SAD lamps work. We will also look at the five best SAD lamps of 2023 for the perfect light therapy for you. Let’s dive in.
What Are SAD Lamps And How Do They Work?
SAD lamps (light boxes, light therapy lamps, or sun lamps) are artificial lights that are used for light therapy for seasonal affective disorder.
These lamps are used in winter to produce bright artificial lights (measured in lux) to mimic natural sunlight. In a regular light therapy session, you sit in front of your SAD lamp for 30-60 minutes of your day and let the light enter your eyes first thing in the morning. This tricks your brain into believing you’re being exposed to natural light.
Now, soaking up light to treat SAD might seem like a non-sciency, but it’s actually the first line of treatment usually followed. Research has found that apart from SAD, light therapy is also useful in dealing with other health conditions, including:
- treating the circadian rhythm,
- non-seasonal depression, and
- insomnia.
As per a 2001 study by Cambridge University, people with SAD who used light lamps experienced decreased symptoms after four continuous weeks of use. Another study by BMC Psychiatry found that a combination of light therapy and exercise helped reduce the symptoms of SAD.
Read more: Seasonal Affective Disorder – It’s Not Just Winter Blues
Discovering The Best SAD Lamps Of 2023
Now that you understand the importance of lamps for SAD, let’s dive into how you can get the perfect one for yourself. It’s essential to understand that since the Federal Drug Authority (FDA) does not use regular SAD lamps, you need to figure out what’s best and effective at the same time. At the starting level, ensure that your SAD lamp offers 10,000 lux light and UV protection.
To help you get started, here are the best SAD lamps of 2023. Let’s dive in.
1. Carex Day-Light Classic Plus, Light Therapy Lamp
Carex Day-Light lamp is one of the best SAD lamps of the year. It offers 10,000 lux of light. And the best part? It doesn’t require you to always sit close to the lamp. Since the lamp is the size of a computer monitor, you can easily sit around 12 inches away from the lamp and still get the desired benefits.
Reviewers on e-commerce platforms find the lamp extremely useful as it provides effective results without hurting their eyes.
2. Beurer TL 45 Perfect Day Daylight
Imagine a SAD lamp along with super active and relaxed settings. This is the Beurer TL 45 lamp for you. It offers three different modes, which are easy to switch using a toggle button.
The first is the therapy mode that people with SAD can benefit from. It provides bright, cool light and easily mimics daylight. The active mode is warmer and helps you concentrate. The relaxed setting is lowest in intensity and mimics the sun’s light around sunset.
3. Northern Light Technologies Boxelite
If you are looking to go for the higher range of the best SAD lamps in the market, the Boxelite lamp is a perfect choice for you. It’s one of the sleekest light therapy lamps on the market and comes in a minimalistic, rectangular design.
The Booxelite lamp offers 10,000 lux light and UV protection at 14 inches. It also has a warmer temperature, which might not be everyone’s choice; therefore, it’s good to test before buying.
Read more: The 7 Different Types Of Depression In Psychology
Conclusion:
Using a light therapy lamp to deal with the symptoms of seasonal affective disorders can help effectively sail through the winter months. Aim for 30 minutes of light therapy early in the morning for the initial days with a basic lamp offering 10,000 lux of light along with UV filters. We hope this post on the best SAD lamps will help you get started.
It’s important to understand that while light therapy is effective for SAD, consult with a doctor before using it.
Besides light therapy, psychotherapy is also an effective way to deal with SAD. Access to professional therapy is now easier than ever with the advent of online therapy platforms. To learn more about the top online therapy platforms, click here.
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