Sunrise alarm clocks

Ellie2758

Savvy_Sue wrote:

But I can't read without a bright light, and I always read in bed at night! Sob. (Mind you I haven't noticed it keeping me awake!)

Same here Sue, and the early waking has only just started so i dont think it relates to that.

Thanks to everybody who has answered. Have to say I have tried all routes apart from Ted's suggestion of an early morning brisk walk. Sounds useful, but I need to motivate myself. I have quite a stressful home life and now my work life is becoming stressful as well it is all getting to be A BIT TOO MUCH, iykwim.

Ellie

Ted_Hutchinson

You can see how much the Sadlight companies are ripping off depressed consumers by comparing the price of lightboxes with facial tanning lamps.Philips facial solarium new price £50

There is no reason why you shouldn't buy one of these Ebay source and replace the infra red tubes with daylight or ordinary flourescant tubes Don't use the infra red tubes without protecting your eyes as you could cause damage but with standard tubes of the same size/wattage this would function perfectly well as a sadlight. Mind you if you asked the seller not to include the tubes as they won't be needed it will save them breaking in the post.

Search ebay and there are plenty of these of different types. Changing the tubes is dead easy and daylight flourescant tubes are readily available in your local lightshops.

I've added the price of a new Philips Facial UVA Solarium but you would have to add on the cost of replacing the tubes. But I still think the ebay secondhand would be a better buy.

Ellie2758

Ted_Hutchinson wrote:

You can see how much the Sadlight companies are ripping off depressed consumers by comparing the price of lightboxes with facial tanning lamps.Philips facial solarium new price £50

There is no reason why you shouldn't buy one of these Ebay source and replace the infra red tubes with daylight or ordinary flourescant tubes Don't use the infra red tubes without protecting your eyes as you could cause damage but with standard tubes of the same size/wattage this would function perfectly well as a sadlight. Mind you if you asked the seller not to include the tubes as they won't be needed it will save them breaking in the post.

Search ebay and there are plenty of these of different types. Changing the tubes is dead easy and daylight flourescant tubes are readily available in your local lightshops.

I've added the price of a new Philips Facial UVA Solarium but you would have to add on the cost of replacing the tubes. But I still think the ebay secondhand would be a better buy.

This is an ace idea Ted, but how would you know whether the bulbs you used as replacements would produce the 10,000 lux?

Ellie

Ted_Hutchinson

Ellie2758 wrote:

This is an ace idea Ted, but how would you know whether the bulbs you used as replacements would produce the 10,000 lux?

Ellie

Sorry I don't seem to have made the point clear enough that the 10.000 lux is a total irrelevance. HOW BRIGHT A LIGHT CAN YOU STAND.
This is what matters. If two tichy little halogen lightbulbs stuck on a headband two inches from my eyes can dazzle me so I walk about like a drunk and prove effective for treating SAD why do I need a search light which will flood the whole room with daylight.
Providing the light source is as close to your eyes as possible, and you will soon adopt a position which is comfortable irrespective of the lux output, then this is the maximum you can stand.
Think of the power output of loudspeakers. For normal daily listening you only need the radio loud enough to hear. The fact that it can blast the neighbourhood to kingdom come may impress those with small brains but for practical purposes providing it is loud enough and not too loud that's fine. With light therapy you need as bright a light as you can stand as close as possible. The tubes in sadlights are standard tubes and the same number as the examples I provided. Provided you sit close enough to them so as to be reasonably comfortable and not in discomfort you will be getting adequate light therapy. I expect somewhere amongst your acquaintances is a photographer with a light meter who could tell you at what distance from your lightbox you should sit to get maximum benenfit but this figure is meaningless in practice because in day to day reality you will not sit where it's too bright and you will adopt a postion which is reasonably comfortable. So that's that. Any light will do if you sit close enough. I've got a few old lightboxes in the garage and tomorrow, no later today, after I've gone to bed and got up again, I'll go and have a look at the tubes in them to tell you what they are but I do assure you that four standard daylight tubes in a box like the Philips I linked to is much the same as those sold by the lightbox companies for three times the price.

Ellie2758

Ah, I see. Bit thick me. So, would standard tubes fit into the Phillips sunlamp then?

Ellie

Ted_Hutchinson

Ellie2758 wrote:

Ah, I see. Bit thick me. So, would standard tubes fit into the Phillips sunlamp then?

Ellie

I think so but as I haven't actually tried I cannot be absolutely certain. I'll see if I can find one locally to try out.
As the sunlamp tubes are Philips Cleo 15 W these appear very similar in size to These 15watt tubes but at the moment I don't have a tube to compare. As they are both 15 watt tubes they should be interchangable as far as the ballast and starter are concerned.

Alternative bright light sources you may consider Portable worklight
Rechargeable latern
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica] [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]2 Halogen Spotlights[/font][/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica] Swivel spots
[/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Desk Lamp[/font]
[/font] [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica] [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Halogen Uplighter[/font][/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica] With a practical reading lamp [/font]
[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica] [font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica] £ [/font] 28.90 [/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica] [font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Halogen Standard Lamp[/font][/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica] Flexible joints [/font]
[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]14.99 [/font]
The point I'm trying to make is that it is far better if rather than trying to grab a high burst of light therapy first thing in the morning, you would do better IMO to ensure that you had really powerful light close at hand where you spend most of your morning. It is impractical to light the whole of your house, workplace with electric light to sunlight intensity, but, by having as many as possible and as powerful as possible spotlights, worklights, desklights localised to where you are likely to need them,then getting your light therapy as you work or go about your day will be better in the long run. The bulbs in the special sadlight boxes aren't inherently any different from the bulbs you can buy anywhere else so buying lots of cheap lights which you can position as and where they will be used will be more costeffective.

I've already suggested putting higher light output energy saving (morrisions are cheap) Philips softone bulbs in reading lamps to increase the light output without overheating the unit. But you could also use halogen.
there are many mains voltage halogen lights that are direct replacements for standard light bulbs. For example, the OSRAM HALOPAR range of halogen spotlights use standard cap types so you can swap standard reflector lights for the halogen alternatives in an instant. You will immediately benefit from brighter, whiter light and from their double lifetime.
OSRAM 'Longlife' Halogen Lamp 40w £0.99 OSRAM 'Longlife' Halogen Lamp60w £0.99

Double flourescent fitting

Ted_Hutchinson

Boots special offer extra points Be prepared for the clocks going back (30th Oct) when shorter days and lack of sunshine can trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) causing disturbed sleep and low moods. Visit boots.com for the full range of bodyclocks & light boxes.UP TO 750 EXTRA POINTS ON SELECTED LUMIE BODYCLOCKS

Be prepared for the clocks going back (30th Oct) when shorter days and lack of sunshine can trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) causing disturbed sleep and low moods. Visit boots.com for the full range of bodyclocks & light boxes.

Former_MSE_Forum_Manager

I have removed several posts, plus amended another to keep this thread on track. If anyone has an issue they would like to take up with the abuse team, please contact us via abuse@moneysavingexpert.com

Please do not derail a perfectly valid thread

shokadelika

Be prepared for the clocks going back (30th Oct) when shorter days and lack of sunshine can trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) causing disturbed sleep and low moods.
How much is SAD linked to Vitam D deficiency as none of us are generating any now from sunlight in the autmn/ winter. see. https://www.cholecalciferol-council.com

Ted_Hutchinson

New readers may wish the check the previous Vitamin D thread Here
I should also point out now I've downloaded Google Earth onto my PC that spinning the world round to find how much further North we are than Boston USA is a good deal more fun than clicking your way across Multimap.