As the sun starts to set earlier, we know the cooler air is going to blow in soon. There’s so many of us out there that are highly sensitive and love the sunlight. Without as much sunlight, we get less Vitamin D and our circadian rhythm might be thrown off. This leaves many of us with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or the winter blues. The good news is that light therapy using LED grow lights might help brighten our spirits.
Light Value
The lack of sunlight often contributes to seasonal affective disorder for many people. Getting more light might reverse these winter blues. Bright light stimulates the cells in the retina that connect to the part of the brain that helps control circadian rhythms, the hypothalamus. When this is activated at a certain time each day, it helps to restore a normal circadian rhythm. The thought is that the body’s internal clock shifts ahead tricking it into thinking it’s daytime. This should boost your mood.
Light Therapy
The introduction of light therapy for many people includes sitting next to a “light box” for about one half hour of the day. Most of the boxes provide about 10,000 measures of light intensity called lux. This intensity is about 100 times brighten than the usual indoor lighting. If the sun is shining brightly outside, the measure is about 50,000. Bright light treatment needs a minimum of 2500 lux for it to be effective. The recommended lux is 10,000. The interior of most homes only has about 100 to 300 lux, and most offices don’t emit more than 700 lux. The catch is that some people need brighter light than most light therapy mechanisms can provide. Some people cannot tolerate the bright light. This is rare, but light therapy is not for everyone. You should always consult your doctor to see if it is okay for you to begin bright light therapy.
What Are LED Grow Lights?
LED grow lights are gaining a positive reputation for their help in light therapy. LED grow lights work as luminaires that use LED chips to produce light for growing plants. These LED lights come in many different sizes and shapes. They have LED chips that effect the quality, spectrum and brightness produced by the lights. LED grow lights in Canada are becoming even more popular due to the short duration of there grow season.
What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
There is a difference between depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD. SAD means a person must have had at least three episodes of major depression in three separate wintertime seasons. These episodes also cannot coincide with episodes in life that often lead to depression or stress such as: death, divorce or a major change. Light therapy can help people with seasonal affective disorder as well as those that just feel blue during the winter or have a mild case of seasonal depression due to more darkness outside. The classic seasonal affective disorder symptoms are sleep issues, appetite changes, weight gain and/or weight loss. Many people mistake depression for seasonal affective disorder.
The Ease Of LED Lights
One great thing about LED lights is that they are easy to bring along with you wherever you go. You can carry an LED light with you so you have this treatment available at any time of the day. When you’re feeling down or groggy, you can shine this light on you. All you need to do is turn on your LED lights facing them towards you. They will give you a boost of energy.
How To Use LED Lighting
There are many ways you can use LED grow lamps to literally lighten your mood. One way is to turn on the light and try to sit by it while you do something like scroll on your phone, drink coffee or watch television. Some people find the brightness overwhelming at first and must turn it down a notch. Most people notice a difference in a few days. It works quickly to boost your circadian rhythm into action. Many people say the lighting is like getting an extra boost of caffeine in your drink without any side effects.
What About My Light Fixtures At Home?
Some wonder if they can just put special bulbs into their own light fixtures. LED lightbulbs conserve electricity and last a long time, but they probably won’t emit enough light to help seasonal depression. It’s tough to construct an effective light treatment device without the help of a professional. The LED grow lights usually have high levels of reflectors, ballasts and other special components. If you simply put in bright bulbs around your house, you don’t have all of these components coming together to emit the right type of lighting.
Can I just put special bulbs into my light fixtures at home?
Dawn Simulation
LED growth lights can work besides dawn simulation to boost your overall mood. Dawn simulation treatment uses less intense light as a person wakes up in the morning. The light needs to increase gradually in intensity for it to properly work. Special equipment is often used to gradually increase the lighting over an hour with dawn simulation.
Effective Time Of Day
There is not one time of the day that LED lighting works best for mood. Many people use it in the morning to jump start their day. Others use it mid-afternoon when they feel the slump of the day. The length of time is much more important than the time you do the therapy. Keep the setting on the lowest brightness if it bothers you, and try for thirty minutes each day. When you get used to the light, use it a few times a day when it benefits you the most.
Colors Of LED Lighting
There are different colors of LED lights. The main ones of choices are white, blue, green, and red. Most specialists rule out red, and say white, green and blue lighting help your mood more. The thought behind color is that many believe light causes macular degeneration in the eyes. When you’re exposed to a lifetime of the sun, you can potentially damage the retina of the eyes. Light boxes are not direct sunlight; however, they often have a high intensity of light. The most important thing to remember is never stare directly into a light therapy box. You can speak with your doctor about the best color of light for you.
The Fine Print
LED grow lights won’t work for everyone. If you are clinically depressed, it’s important to consult your doctor. This treatment is meant to boost your mood if you have the winter blues. It will not work overnight so it is something you must do on a daily basis for a few weeks. You should feel a difference a few days after you begin the treatment. You should also get a consultation from an eye doctor to determine if light treatment is safe for your eyes.
LED grow lights work along with light therapy to help boost the mood of those with seasonal affective disorder. Talk with your doctor about the best treatment for your depression. Though it’s often hard to shake the winter blues, you can use LED grow lights to help you get through this tough time.
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