Light Therapy Treatment

About 75 to 80% of SAD sufferers benefit from light therapy - it has transformed the quality of life for many people in the darker months of winter.

Treatment with light therapy involves using equipment (called a light box) which emits light of at least 2,500 lux. (The light from the sky outside on a summer's day is about 100,000 lux whereas standard indoor artificial lighting is generally anything from 200 to 700 lux).

In recent years, light boxes with 10000 lux light intensity have become available for home use and this has reduced the length of daily light therapy needed from several hours to just 30 minutes a day for many people with SAD which has made the treatment more convenient.

Relief from the symptoms Seasonal Affective Disorder is often felt within just a few days of starting a regular course of light therapy treatment and this makes it particularly attractive.

Light therapy may be available from a SAD research clinic or you may be able to rent or buy a light box for home treatment. Although it is always wise to consult your doctor before therapy (for there are some who should not use it), most people find it more convenient to use a light box for treatment at home or at work.

To use a light box, you sit in front of it (within about 3 feet/1 metre) with your eyes open, reading, working or watching TV. Sometimes, to ensure you get enough light, you may be advised by the manufacturers to glance at the box every now and again, but not stare directly at it.

Light therapy seems to work best if you start treatment as the days shorten at the end of the summer and continue every day until spring. If you stop the treatment for a number of days, even though you feel great initially, symptoms often return within a few days without exposure to the bright light.