SAD lamps (1 Viewer)

[ColinD]

Ok, I know that this is not exactly nature study equipment, but I wondered if anybody here has ever used a SAD Lamp?

I would have thought that birders would be amongst the most likely group of people to be effected by SAD in winter. After all, we're all outdoor people, who presumably like to spend more time in the countryside than most, yet in winter a combination of dark nights all week and bad weather at the weekend can stop us from going out for weeks on end. I certainly have always gotten a little depressed in winter, but this year it's much worse than normal due to a combination of other factors.

So, have you used a SAD lamp, and did it work for you? They can be quite expensive, but I've found a cheaper model at Argos which I'm thinking of buying. Any other recommendations or advice would be great.

 

[Claymore]

Ok, I know that this is not exactly nature study equipment, but I wondered if anybody here has ever used a SAD Lamp?

I would have thought that birders would be amongst the most likely group of people to be effected by SAD in winter. After all, we're all outdoor people, who presumably like to spend more time in the countryside than most, yet in winter a combination of dark nights all week and bad weather at the weekend can stop us from going out for weeks on end. I certainly have always gotten a little depressed in winter, but this year it's much worse than normal due to a combination of other factors.

So, have you used a SAD lamp, and did it work for you? They can be quite expensive, but I've found a cheaper model at Argos which I'm thinking of buying. Any other recommendations or advice would be great.

I understand what your saying Colin and like yourself tend to get bouts of depression mines usually brought on by my other health problems but yes winter does seem to make things worse.
I have heard the lights do have some ltd effect but they cannot replace being out in the fresh air which i personally think is the best thing for clearing your head. I bought myself a decent warm coat and trousers and even if its dull and raining try and get out in the fresh air and it does wonders!:t:
Also get yourself a small compact digital camera and take this with you on a walk its amazing what you spot and get a few shots, then try and keep a diary of what you spotted and shot etc, not only does it make you more aware of your surroundings but it keeps your mind occupied and active and you know what? the dull miserable days seem to go by much faster ready for spring!.
There's plenty of us outdoor lovers out and about even in grotty weather so save your money on the light and get outside in the fresh air and enjoy it
Cheers and hope your feeling a bit cheerier
Cheers
BrianB
Ps I have recently found out i have eye problems and lost sight in one eye and t'others going too hence my reason for being depressed but i intend getting out and about while i can still see and enjoy cheers

 

[ColinD]

Thanks for the advice Brian. I do go out a lot, probably more than most people.

I just wondered if anybody had experience of S.A.D Lamps.

 

[Martin Fagg]

SAD lamp

Hi Colin,
I've been using one for about 6 weeks. It's a www.sad.uk.com Litepod.
I bought it from Amazon for around £100. I also bought a Dawnlite lamp that you can set as an alarm so that the light gradually comes on brighter and brighter before the alarm sound goes off. That was about £80.

I did look at cheaper models and read reviews on the net but I decided that the one I bought was best value although not the cheapest.

I have always got a bit down in winter but the last two or three have been worse than usual. Also the last few springs I have been pretty hyper around April time when the mornings get light earlier. Often waking up at 3 or 4 am without needing an alarm and not being able to get back to sleep. Brilliant for catching the dawn chorus :t:
I had previously thought that it was natural to be a bit slowed down in winter and not really a problem but due to more to do these days and feeling stressed out I spent the money on them. My doctor recommended using a SAD lamp. He told me he expected I would be very surprised by how effective they can be. I have been.

I have to say that the lamps I bought I think they are working for me. I usually wake up before the alarm sound goes off, coming gently round to the increasing light of my false dawn. This is so much better than being instantly awoken from deep sleep in the pitch black by a piercing alarm noise.
I then spend 30-60 minutes in front of the Litepod, usually eating my breakfast while checking emails and BF postings on my computer. I find that after about an hour it starts to make me a bit edgy and nervous so it's definitely doing something. An hour is the overdose point for me.

I thought about getting a SAD lamp several years ago but put it off due to the expense. I wish I hadn't. This autumn I had begun to feel quite lousy until I started using a SAD lamp.

Lots of people don't need them of course but I think if you suffer from SAD or winter blues that you will see the benefit as I have. I wish I hadn't been a skinflint and bought one when I first thought of it. The last few winters would have been much less depressing I think.

The real test of their effectiveness is yet to come though. I think the worst part of the year is in the new year. January is usually the lowest month of the year but I am really quite certain that this year is going to be alright because of my lamps.

If my case sounds like yours then don't put it off like I did. You can get more money, you can't get back missed happiness.
Best wishes,
Martin.

 

[ColinD]

Thanks Martin, that's excellent advice. I really like the bit about not being able to get back missed happiness. Life's too short to spend half the year depressed.

Can I ask how big your lamp is, and what power it is. The lamp I have been looking at is quite small, too small I suspect.

 

[Green beetle]

SAD Lamps

H

I use one almost every day over the dark winter months as Oct-Jan can be a pretty bad time. It's quite small (called a Litebook and cost c £140) as I knew I'd never manage to sit in front of one of the big ones for long enough in the mornings with all the usual scurrying about getting ready for work. It runs on a rechargeable battery and is small enough to fit in a briefcase so I blast myself as soon as I settle at work.

I couldn't say definitively that it does any good (although my GP says that they do) but it doesn't do any harm (as far as I know!) and at least I feel as though I am doing something positive to beat the blues. And that makes me feel a bit better too.

 

[Martin Fagg]

Hi Colin,

http://www.sad.co.uk/SAD+Light+%7C+SAD+Litepod.htm?source=froogle

It's this one. The website should tell you all you need to know.

I get up an hour earlier than I used to just to use it. Mind you I don't have kids so it fits my lifestyle. Someone else at work has one next to their computer screen and use it while working.
It says in the instructions not to use any later than 4 hours before bedtime or it may disturb you sleep pattern. I figured first thing is the best time for a boost. I work next to a south facing window so I get some light once I'm at work if the weather is good.

There other types, there's even one you wear on your head like a hat/visor thing.

It's a lot of money but for me it has been amazing value.

In case anyone's wondering, I'm not associated with the company in anyway at all.

 

[ColinD]

Just thought I'd give an update on this.

On Saturday I had been out all day at Leighton Moss. It was a glorious sunny day, not a breath of wind, and we saw a fabulous selection of birds, with particularly good views of three male Bearded Tits and a couple of Bitterns. Also a brief view of Cetti's Warbler. All told, an excellent day to be alive with no reason for feeling down about things.

Yet by the time I got home, it was dark and I was once more sinking into a generally lethargic, can't be bothered, quick tempered kind of mood. So I immediately went to Argos and bought a SAD lamp.

I used it Saturday evening, and then Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. I've got into a nice routine, I put my alarm on 30 minutes early and sit in bed with the lamp on reading a book. I haven't used it in the evening since Saturday.

So far it really seems to be working. Everyday I've been full of life, almost hyper in fact, very positive and much more relaxed, and the mood has lasted all day, right into the evening. I'm actually enjoying work again.

I can't be 100% certain that it is the lamp of course. It could be a combination of factors, perhaps the fact that I'm having a read for 30 minutes before I get up, and it may be partly psychological, but whatever it is, it's working so far and has been well worth the investment.

 

[Martin Fagg]

almost hyper in fact[/QUOTE]

This sounds familiar. As I said in my previous post, I think it's possible to have too much of a good thing.

Yesterday my other half told me she could tell I'd just used it because I was wittering on like an idiot. I really was quite over excited and rambling on immediately after spending just over an hour in front of my lamp. It felt like I'd drunk a gallon of coffee.

So easy does it folks

 

[Claymore]

almost hyper in fact

This sounds familiar. As I said in my previous post, I think it's possible to have too much of a good thing.

Yesterday my other half told me she could tell I'd just used it because I was wittering on like an idiot. I really was quite over excited and rambling on immediately after spending just over an hour in front of my lamp. It felt like I'd drunk a gallon of coffee.

So easy does it folks [/QUOTE]

Martin, I'm often found dribbling gazing into our refridgerator with the light on(too tight to buy a real SAD Light LoL well i am in Scotland)
Glad to hear its doing you some good and maybe i should check them out.
Cheers
Brian:t:

 

[Saphire]

I have put in an order for one of these lights through amazon after reading this thread. I hope it works even if it has a placebo effect. I hate dull days with hardly any light whether its winter or summer it doesn't matter I just feel so lethargic and miserable and I don't sleep well during those times.

What I find weird after doing a bit of research on the net is the fact it takes me back to my childhood in the 1950's. I remember having to go to the school clinic once a week and made to stand in front of a large light panel with dark goggles on, I wish my Mum was alive so I could ask her why.

 

[etudiant]

Hi Christine,
I had the same experience. I still remember the ozone smell from the lamp's power supply.

It seems to have been a common practice at that time. My impression was that it was to get enough UV for the body to make vitamin D. Essentially it was a tanning lamp.
Logically, it would have been cheaper to just turn our backs to the light and forget the goggles.

 

[Martin Fagg]

Hi everyone,

just thought I'd let you know that I am even more sure that this lamp works. I have been away for a few days over Christmas and decided not to take the lamp as a bit of a test.
I had five days without it and I could feel the difference. I had very little exposure to sunlight so it was a good test I think. I felt progressively more tired each day and also grumpier and less patient with people and generally tense.
I used the lamp again yesterday a felt so much more cheery and content.

I shall be using it everyday in winter from now on.

Best of luck,
Martin.