For people suffering from the winter blues, a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), there is an easy and affordable remedy: Light Therapy.
Indeed, there is evidence that light therapy effectively reduces the symptoms of SAD in as short a time as a week with very few side effects. Patients generally sit in front of the light box for 30 to 45 minutes every morning while reading or doing other things as it is not required to look directly at the light (staring at the light is proscribed).
The premise behind light therapy is that during the winter months as daylight starts later, people suffering from SAD have difficulty being energized and cheering up, so they are in the grip of depressed moods and fatigue. Light is known to affect the Hypothalamus, which is a gland in the brain responsible for regulating mood, energy and appetite. In addition, light influences serotonin and norepinephrine (brain chemicals necessary to regulate mood) that are also found to be really low in depressed individuals. Therefore, exposure to light in the morning helps reset these systems and raise the mood.
Furthermore, light therapy is currently being investigated for the treatment of Depression, Sleep disorders, Bipolar disorder and a slew of other disorders.
The advantages are that light therapy does not require prescriptions and the box can be purchased online (about $200) or rented. The disadvantages are that it does not yet qualify for insurance reimbursement and that it may cause headaches and hypomania (overstimulation).
Your pick!
Jazzie _ Living with Anxiety
For more info visit the Society for Light Therapy at www.sltbr.org
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