Exposure to bright light can help repel the winter blues. The time to start is now: NPR
While daylight decreases people can feel their mood having fun. Experts say that the start of light therapy in the fall can help repel winter depression.
Ailsa Chang, host:
As the days are shorter, many people can also find their mood that decreases. About 1 out of 20 adults suffers from a seasonal emotional disorder and millions of others experience a softer shape of winter blues. Allison Aubrey de NPR reports how the brilliant light of a box can help.
Allison Aubrey, Byline: We are all guided by our circadian rhythms. But the internal clocks of our body do not keep a perfect 24 -hour cycle. So, every day, the master clock in our brain needs reset. Scientist Michael Terman explains that the signal for this reset is morning light.
Michael Terman: Light through the eyes neurologically seizes this circadian timer, and she corrects it every day.
Aubrey: That’s why it is good to open the blinds or go out in the morning. But as the hours of daylight shrink during the months of fall and winter, it can be useful to mount our exposure to light using a light box. It is a device that you connect, you sit in front and it emits a shiny white light.
Terman: When we shed light on the morning, what we do is reset this derivative circadian clock to synchronize with the outside world.
Aubrey: In addition to synchronizing our clocks, using a light box in the morning for about 30 minutes, giving or taking, can stimulate mood and push depression. Dr. Dorothy Sit is a doctor from the Northwestern University who studied live light therapy.
Dorothy SIT: There has just been a ton of research that has shown that the use of morning light or bright light in the morning can be extremely useful for reverse some of the symptoms of seasonal depression.
Aubrey: It points to research that shows that light therapy is equal to standard antidepression drugs to relieve symptoms. Some people do both and the combination can be useful. Depending on the person, light therapy may be sufficient. Studies show that this can start to reduce the symptoms of depression in a week.
Sitting: this therefore means that we can offer different forms of treatment to people who would suit the person’s lifestyle, their preferences. We just have more to offer.
Aubrey: She says that if you are going to use a light box, it is important to define a routine. Use it every morning at the same time. And it can be useful to start now in the fall before the darkest months. Some light boxes sold online are too small or do not emit enough light. The Mayo clinic says it chooses one that emits 10,000 lux of light.
SIT: I think Bright Light is always an under-regulated treatment option and also knowing that light therapy can be very useful for people who even have softer forms.
Aubrey: Some signs that you might be vulnerable to seasonal blues are if you sleep more than normal or you want more pasta and candy. Dr. Jamie Zeitzer of Stanford University says that it is important to recognize that a lack of light is not the only trigger for seasonal depression.
Jamie Zeitzer: So you know, if it’s winter and it’s cold and snowy and you cannot see people as much because it is more difficult to move and people are not so much outside, well, it can be depressing. You know, it is this kind of social isolation.
Aubrey: A reminder that when it comes to feeling good in the darkest months, we need light as well as laughter and friendship.
Allison Aubrey, NPR News.
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