Why you should try light therapy
I don't dread winters anymore. Don't get me wrong, the cold and darkness get real old by the end of winter. But using a light box for light therapy has really changed my experience of the winter blues. I don't feel like I'm bogged down by winter anymore, or like my life gets temporarily put on hold for a few months. I don’t think any Ohioan has a good reason why not to use these things if they experience the winter blues like many of us do. And evidence is showing that it is also effective for nonseasonal depression as well as perinatal depression. Dr. Richard Schwartz, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, says "for both seasonal and nonseasonal depression, the effectiveness of light therapy is approximately the same as antidepressant medications." And it comes without those nasty side effects we all love to hate from meds!
Make sure when using light therapy, you're doing the following things to ensure effectiveness:
Choose a good light box. You want 10,000 lux that provides full spectrum light but blocks out UV rays. Here is just one example of a good, affordable option on Amazon.
Use the light box DAILY, in the morning for 20-60 minutes. Make it part of a morning routine; if you drink coffee, eat breakfast, put on makeup, read, listen to music or look at your phone, these are great opportunities to add in your light box time. You do need your eyes to be open to get benefit from it.
Place the box about 12-24 inches away from your face, at about a 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock angle.
Monitor your mood and see if it's working. You should notice increased energy, better sleep and a better mood within a few days to two weeks of daily use. If 20 minutes a day isn't cutting it, try increasing the time up to 60 minutes.
With consistent, correct usage, this form of therapy can make winters, and even year-round depressive symptoms, so much more tolerable, with greater energy and improved moods. Who doesn't want that?
Written by Mary Beth Stevens, M.Ed., LPC, BCN