Whether you’re lonely this V-Day or feeling the sophomore (or junior or senior) slump, put down the Xanax and light up your life. Light therapy provides a method of treating depression as well as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) — the acronym that is oh-so-apropos. This nonpharmacologic treatment sheds artificial light, up to 10,000 lux (which sounds pretty legit to us), that alters your circadian rhythms, inducing better sleep at night. Its rays emulate light from the sun and manipulate the melatonin and serotonin levels in your brain. The effect? Happiness.
This device relieves symptoms for those with SAD by creating biochemical changes in your brain, tricking your body into feeling as though you’ve spent hours in the summer sun. Sit under a special light for a specific amount of time each day, ranging from 15 minutes to a couple of hours. Keep your eyes open, but do not stare into the light, because there can be some damaging effects to your peepers. The therapy can be administered by a physician, or the light boxes themselves can be purchased for home use. So for those with the winter blues, try basking the artificial way. It’ll be a while before Spring Break rolls around.
Try these boxes to make this dreary month a little bit brighter:
Sunlight 365 SAD Therapy Light Box with Clock Zadro, $49 www.activeforever.com
The Desktop Light Therapy Box Hammacher Schlemmer, $89.95 www.hammacher.com
goLITE BLU Philips, $279 www.lighttherapy.com
