Why Consider a Light Therapy Lamp?
Do you know that daily exposure to sunlight impacts your mood, energy, and sleep? Your body has a circadian rhythm based on sunlight exposure. Your overall well-being depends upon it.
Most people feel that winter days are gloomy and sad, due to the lack of sunlight. Without enough light getting in through your eyes, you might feel too low on energy or a bit down, or have disrupted sleep patterns. All of these symptoms have to do with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Light therapy alleviates the symptoms of SAD by mimicking sunlight. Thus, sunless winter days don't have to prevent you from getting light exposure. The Bright Minds Therapy lamp does just that. It regulates your body's rhythms with light, elevates the mood, and promotes alertness.
Not just for SAD, it can also be useful for older people for whom aging results in lower suprachiasmatic nucleus stimulation and disrupted circadian rhythm. Also, the elderly don't get out much in the sun and this limits their exposure to environmental light. The American Family Physician published a study of older patients who reported better improvements in nonseasonal major depressive disorder after using light therapy.
How Light Therapy Works?
By mindfully exposing you to light through light therapy, you can stimulate the natural circadian rhythm for regulating sleep and wake cycles. Bright light signals your brain to boost alertness hormones and reduce melatonin production. It can improve your energy and productivity during day time. Indirectly, it also improves sleep quality as your brain naturally produces more melatonin when there is a lack of light at night.
How to Use Bright Minds Therapy Lamp?
Brain MD Bright Minds Therapy Lamp makes it easy to improve light exposure during winter. Here are some best practices for the right usage:
- Use it in the morning immediately after waking up
- Daily, you can use it while eating breakfast or reading
- Start with 20-30 minutes per day and gradually increase to up to 60 minutes per day
- Keep the lamp at arm's length away
- Keep the light at an angled position so that light enters your eyes indirectly
- Use daily at the same time to naturally regulate the circadian rhythm
- Try white light and blue light on different days and adjust timings based on how you feel
- Regular light sessions daily are better than sporadic long sessions
What Are the Side Effects of Bright Minds Light Therapy Lamp?
Light therapy is usually well tolerated. Some people experience mild symptoms like headache, agitation, and nausea when they start using the light lamp initially. You can adjust your light exposure until these symptoms go away.
Who Should Not Use Light Therapy?
Light therapy using the Bright Minds Therapy Lamp is a supportive measure to regulate your light exposure. It's important to get medical advice first before you start this. It's not suitable if you have:
- Eye conditions like retinal disease, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts, etc.
- Bipolar disorder, because light exposure can cause more symptoms
- Skin lesions due to illness
- Sensitive skin that reacts when exposed to light
- Taking medications that increase light sensitivity