Winter is Coming: Tips for Managing Seasonal Affective Disorder

Thank you for this! I’ve been meaning to get one. On top of the light, taking Vitamin D is very important as well

For proof on how ridiculously bright these things are, here's a picture taken at sunrise. Those blinds are open

Light therapy works by artificially extending the day length. Whatever lamp you get needs to be 10,000 lux or better, or else it's not strong enough to be clinically effective. Sessions should be half an hour long, during which you sit the recommended distance away from the lamp whilst facing it (but don't look directly into it — its light strength is almost as strong as the sun). Sit there facing it for the entire half hour; feel free to read a book or play on your phone while doing so. For maximum effectiveness, sunrise or sunset (with sunrise sessions being shown to be significantly more effective in clinical settings) should occur in the center of your session, which means starting 15 minutes prior and ending 15 minutes after sunrise or sunset.

Thank you so much for posting this. It’s very important for people with seasonal depression to get help before winter starts and the days become darker. I’ve heard that light therapy might be useful but didn’t really understand how it works. Can you elaborate? Why waking up 15 minutes earlier can make me feel better?