Where to buy a SAD lamp

feelinggood_2

I'm thinking of buying a SAD lamp, but I'm not sure where the best place to get one from is. How can I ensure I get a 'real' one that might help? Any advice appreciated

Savvy_Sue

If you search this board for posts by Ted Hutchinson on SAD lights I think you'll get the most comprehensive answers you need! He's into DIY ...

Ted_Hutchinson

Unfortunately some of the links posted previously in other threads now aren't relevant. Screwfix aren't doing their 2d tasklight at the moment.
There are plenty of cheap sadlights on Ebay at the moment that aren't much more money.
The point I made previously that there is only so much brightness one can stand and buying a much more powerful light thinking that it will speed the process up will not work if it dazzles you so much you have to back off to be comfortable enought to bear it. At least the less powerful ones you can get up closer to and not blast other people out of the room with your over aggressive lighting. This is similar to the screwfix but a bit more expensive

Argos do Beauty Works Day Light.

But I've found that my sadlightboxes stayed in the loft last year since I've kept my Vitamin d3 status high with effective amounts of Vitamin D3 cholecalciferol from the links page of The vitamin d council It is far better imo to NOT BE DEPRESSED than to effectively manage the symptoms of depression. Depression is an inflammatory condition. Stress causes inflammation. Having optimal status of natural anti inflammatory agents means when the stress induced inflammation occurs your body is able to deal with it naturally. So stock up with vitamin d3, omega 3, flaxseed, and green tea and your natural anti inflammatory status will be improved. Another tack is to learn how to manage stress better so as to minimise it's inflammatory input. Living Life to the Full Cognitive behaviour therapy is proven to reduce inflammation in the brain and thus help depression.

scousemanblue

Try this website.

https://www.internetfusion.co.uk

Ted_Hutchinson

scousemanblue wrote: »

Try this website.

www.internetfusion.co.uk

But this is a MONEYSAVING website. Why pay £169 when a light unit providing the same lux output can be obtained for around £50. Writing SAD on the side doesn't alter the fact that what is doing the trick is early morning exposure to bright light, so any very bright light source will do exactly the same.

You can readjust your melatonin cycle by

1. Make sure you use only subdued lighting from 8pm at night.
2. Go to bed early (every hour before 12 is worth double that staying in bed in the morning)
3. Ensure your bedroom is as dark as possible (use thick curtains to cut out street lighting)
4. Turn off any digital display or standby light so there is absolutely no light source in the room of any kind or coming through cracks round the door or curtains.
5. Don't put the light on if you need to use the loo in the night. Learn how to find your way safely there in the dark.
6. Wake to bright light. (set your bedside light on a timer to come on 30mins before you want to get up)
7. Draw your curtains, don't have net curtains or blinds, get outside into daylight asp.
8. Don't wear photochromic or sunglassess until after you have had at least an hour in bright light.

Your pineal gland produces melatonin, bright light switches off the melatonin.

MAGNESIUM (ensuring you have sufficient and are not deficient as is generally the case in the UK) also reduces the amount of melatonin produced.

ramborai1987

what is a sad lamp. is it a lamp that makes you sad

Ted_Hutchinson

ramborai1987 wrote: »

what is a sad lamp. is it a lamp that makes you sad

It is a light specifically designed to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder SAD if you skim through those results you will see it has a proven track record of being an effective treatment for a depressive condition that would not occur if people had sufficient Vitamin D to ensure their brains/bodies functioned optimally.

Hapless_2

You can get daylight energy saving bulbs which are a cheaper alternative from BLT direct.
A friend of mine swears they are a good alternative.
http://www.bltdirect.com/products.php?cat=443&nm=Energy+Saving+Daylight+Lamps

dragonsoup

I got mine from http://www.outsidein.co.uk/ the other week. Very quick delivery. It sits on my office desk so it blends in well with my life.

I am not comfortable with taking in artificially high levels of any type of dietery supplement.

feelinggood_2

dragonsoup wrote: »

I got mine from http://www.outsidein.co.uk/ the other week. Very quick delivery. It sits on my office desk so it blends in well with my life.

I am not comfortable with taking in artificially high levels of any type of dietery supplement.

I was looking at the Lumie Brightspark which I think is from a related company:
http://www.lumie.com/brightlights.htm

I think I might mention it to my GP when I'm back in a week, light therapy has never been discussed, nor have I been diagnosed with SAD. She'll probably just brush me off as usual, but worth a try!

Thanks for all your help guys, fingers crossed I'll get one that helps.

hibees1875_2

a lightbox will not bring back a sense of enjoyment. But a sense of enjoyment can negate the need for a lightbox.

Eat a balanced healthy diet. Talk to friends. Exercise. practice good sleep hygiene. have structure to each day. have achievable goals. focus on positives. if caught thinking about negatives work through your perceptions and look at alternative explanations. accept that some days are bad. tomorrow can always be better.

You don't have to spend money to recover from depression.