Treat SAD With A UV Lamp

Seasonal Affective Disorder commonly referred to as SAD is a type of depression that sets in during the winter and affects around a million people in North America. Light therapy is a popular treatment that can be accomplished with a UV lamp.

Symptoms of SAD include excessive eating or sleeping accompanied by depression with the depression remitting during spring and summer with symptoms reappearing each fall or winter season. You might also develop cravings for sugary foods.

You may also find it difficult to stay awake and have a desire to oversleep. You may feel fatigued and irritable and feel like you aren’t able to carry out your normal routine. Your self esteem may suffer and you might feel guilty, hopeless or suffer from apathy. You might feel tense and stressed.

The cause of SAD is not fully understood but melatonin which is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain has been linked to SAD. More research needs to be conducted.

Antidepressants are often used to treat SAD but in recent years it has been discovered that phototherapy or light therapy has a good success rate and it’s a much preferred treatment to drugs.

Light therapy is effective in more than 85% of diagnosed SAD cases. Light therapy involves 4 hours of exposure every day to very bright light. A normal incandescent light does not work. The light must be bright and it must have the qualities of the sunshine and that is why UV lamps work.

An ordinary light bulb emits an intensity that’s around 200 lux but a bright summer day can be as much as 100,000 lux, so you see where the problem is. Light treatment needs to be used throughout the winter months and even during the summer during period that are dark and dreary. If symptoms start in the early fall then treatment should be immediately started.

There are different types of lights that are used for light treatment. You should consult your physician for a treatment plan. Mild suffers might consider trying a UV lamp on their own. A UV light is bright enough to meet the requirements and it produces the full spectrum that the sun provides to the body.

While you are receiving treatment you can carry on with regular activities like reading your favorite book, knitting, eating, or writing a letter. You don’t have to sit and stare at the light.

Even if you don’t suffer from SAD many people are now choosing to place full spectrum lighting throughout their home. This lighting has shown to improve individual’s moods and the funk that can develop in winter months.

Improvement from light therapy is often noticed in less than a week and the effects will continue as long as treatment does. Do not wear tinted eyewear while receiving treatment because it is important to allow the light to reach the retina of the eye.

If light therapy does not help you may require treatment with other medications. If you believe you are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder you should seek medical help. This is an illness and requires the intervention of your doctor. You can also contact your local Mental Health Agency.