Informative Articles

To many people, the winter season means that Christmas is just around the corner, so it usually brings a festive mood to them.Other people, though, get a negative effect during winter.Some individuals fall into a kind of depression called seasonal affective disorder or SAD, or more commonly known as winter blues, because of the cold weather.

Seasonal affective disorder is a mood disorder caused by lack of sunlight affecting the hormone in our bodies called melatonin, which is responsible for our sleeping pattern.The symptoms include mild to severe depression, lethargy, sleep problems, anxiety, self-isolation, difficulty in concentrating, and tendency to overeat.

Exposure to as much sunlight as possible is one of the things people experiencing winter blues should get.One of the most recommended treatment methods, especially for those who don't have the luxury of time or sunlight, is light therapy.Various models of light therapy lamps are available in the market, especially those that can be used at home.

Specially designed light boxes that make use of high luminosity bulbs with at least 2,500 lux are called light therapy lamps.Patients who use light boxes that offer as high as 10,000 lux need less exposure time.The intensity of the light box and the distance the patient sits from it is related to the time of exposure spent under the light box.

Use of light therapy lamps is as simple as the winter blues patient sitting under it for a period of time prescribed by his physician.It is important for the patient to go through a psychiatric evaluation before undergoing treatment as this will determine the intensity of his depression and the length of light therapy he needs.The positive effects of light therapy will be noticeable if the treatment is done consistently and on prescribed schedule.

While light therapy is perfectly safe when used according to the physician's instructions, the winter blues patient may experience some side effects.Among these are chronic anxiousness, headache, nausea and eyestrain, especially at the beginning of the treatment process.Other common side effects are irritability, difficulty in sleeping, fatigue, agitation, and other mild irritations.However, these side effects clear up in just a few days.

To many people, the winter season means that Christmas is just around the corner, so it usually brings a festive mood to them.However, to some people, winter brings a negative effect.The cold weather causes some individuals into a kind of depression called seasonal affective disorder or SAD, or more commonly known as the winter blues.Light therapy is commonly used to improve the symptoms of this ailment.