SAD light boxes

Partner feels need for bright light in winter - but cannot tolerate the full-strength SAD light boxes.

She feels very much better by our having generally higher colour temperature CFLs, and overall more light in the living room than most people would expect. Will move to appropriate LEDs, I'd guess, as these die.

Specifically, there was a small-ish desk lamp at Lidl a few months ago, IIRC about 5000 K, which she has near her and that makes a big difference.

Anyone with SAD should consider their vitamin D status, cheapest decent finger-prick UK testing seems to be available here:

'Broad spectrum' is snake oil, eyes only detect RGB. As you say, SAD boxes are just bulbs in a box.

NT

Vitamin D pills are a lot cheaper.

why bother? the pills don't hurt even if you have plenty of vitamin D..and are dirt cheap.

Just buy a boots boxful and gulp one a day. If you feel better after a week or two, keep taking em.

Not myself, but I thought the idea was that the light was evenly distributed and it has to be very accurate colour wise, I guess this means the bulbs need to be sourced carefully.

Brian

just bulbs in a box.

Its not the eyes that matter in this case AIUI.

Anywat there shouldn't be any need with the amount of sun we have had so far this year. Unless you never go out that is.

SAD boxes do not produce UVB required to make vitamin D in skin!

But I agree, they are much cheaper. :-)

There are mixed reports with quite a lot saying it really is not very critical at all.

If it isn't the eyes, what is it?

After all, they manufacturers say things like "Look directly at SAD light for xx minutes".

There are many, many people who do not have the freedom to go out as and when they wish. For many different reasons.

are just bulbs in a box.

If there's another part of the body that can distinguish orange from a mix of R+G its news to me

NT

are just bulbs in a box.

R+G its news to me

try the skin..

AIUI, SAD is caused by Vitamin D deficiency, and Vitamin D is made in the skin under the action of sunlight. Hence the deficiency and the incidence of SAD tends to rise in winter. The instructions to look at the lamp is probably intended to ensure that the skin on the face and neck gets as much from the lamp as possible, though I had understood that the usual idea was to 'sunbathe' under them, as if one is on a beach.

Hence the eyes are irrelevant, except >

just bulbs in a box.

just bulbs in a box.

Yes - some people do seem to need the blue end to be emphasised. But SAD lights do not need to be super-broad spectrum, etc. Nor do they produce any appreciable UVB so are useless for making vitamin D.

While low vitamin D has been found in those suffering SAD, and it is always worth checking this out (whether empirically or by test), it is quite clear that people can be vitamin D replete, and yet suffer SAD.

The references I have looked at suggest that this is far from agreed.

In message , newshound writes

I think we've still got one in the bottom of the wardrobe in the spare bedroom - or is it up the loft?

Anthropogenic global warming is far from agreed, but there are still some people who believe in it.

Bill

Anywhere near Gloucestershire?

:-)

It's in Narnia now...