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9.8Happiness Tip - Use a Light Therapy Box
9.8/10
53
votes
1/15/2012
How to improve your mood with light therapy from a light box
Do you feel especially gloomy on those gray winter days? Using a light therapy box for a few minutes a day could help you.

There have been studies at over 15 medical institutions that all show the benefits of using light therapy. Subjects who use a light box for 15 to 30 minutes per day begin to feel a greater sense of wellbeing after about a week of use. When they stop using the light box, the old symptoms come back after about a week.

People with SAD or seasonal affective disorder report the biggest improvement in mood. Seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression that worsens during the fall and winter months.

Some studies have focused on people who have trouble getting started in the morning. In this case, light boxes have been used to simulate the dawn. In this “Dawn Therapy”, subjects use the light early in the morning. Most report a better mood throughout the day.

All you have to do for this therapy is turn the light box on. Do not look directly into it. Put it to the side of where you are looking and up on a shelf so it is above your eyes.

The light box will be more effective if it is placed above your eyes so that it hits the bottom of the retina. Scientists believe that this more closely simulates how the sun would hit your eyes as it rises in the sky.

I use my light box every day first thing in the morning for about 30 minutes. I set it up to the left of my computer screen while I do my emails. I notice a huge difference (especially when I miss it for a few days when I go out of town).

Make sure to get a light box that is a full-spectrum light. This is that type of light that is used in most of the studies showing the success of light therapy.

Light therapy can also help with insomnia and other sleep disorders. Some people use it to help jet lag.

The bad news is that some people get worse. Experiment with time of day, duration and distance to see what is best for you.

Good luck!

Let me know if I can help in any way.

Jett Brenner
jett@succinctsuccess.com
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Further Information
Light Therapy
Q and A on Bright Light Therapy
Light Therapies for Depression
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