![]() Vitacost Vitamin D3 5,000 IU, available at Amazon, $15 Read more: After using this sunrise alarm clock, I was less cranky and groggy in the morning. And it has a light-guided wind-down function that helps you transition to sleep, so it's beneficial for overall sleep hygiene. You can also program it to play natural noises softly (or FM radio) to help bring you around in the morning. It's our top pick among sunrise alarm clocks we've tested. Phillips SmartSleep Sleep and Wake-Up Light simulates a natural sunrise to help you wake up by gradually changing from a soft red to bright yellow light. It provides more gentle wakefulness in the morning, gradually and steadily increasing light over 30-60 minutes, which studies show can improve sleep quality and cognitive function. However, a sunrise alarm clock is meant to help you wake up each morning, easier. ![]() Like a light therapy lamp, sunrise alarm clocks are designed to simulate natural sunlight and enforce typical sleep-wake patterns (though they're less intense at just 100-300 lux of light warmth). Hornstein says alarm clocks that mimic the sunrise can also be surprisingly helpful for Seasonal Affective Disorder treatments. Phillips SmartSleep Sleep and Wake-Up Light, available at Best Buy, $180ĭr. Don't look directly at the lightbox, however, because the bright light could damage your eyes. ![]() To be effective, the light from a happy lamp needs to reach your eyes, so plan on sitting or working near the lightbox with your eyes open. To use a Seasonal Affective Disorder light therapy lamp, start with 15-minutes of light exposure per day, usually in the morning right after waking, advises Shana Feibel, DO, a psychiatrist at the Lindner Center for HOPE in Mason, OH. We like this one in particular because it has both light therapy and task modes so you can also use it as a functioning desk lamp. The Carex is also both height- and angle-adjustable. This is the level shown by studies to be most effective for light therapy. The Carex Day-Light Classic Plus emits 10,000 lux of white light, which is the equivalent of early morning sunlight. Several studies suggest light therapy may also work by increasing serotonin production. Light travels from the eyes via the optic nerves to the hypothalamus area of the brain, which regulates circadian rhythms. ![]() Most evidence suggests light therapy works by influencing your circadian rhythms, or your internal sleep-wake clock. Many studies show that a happy lamp, as they're called, does help with the symptoms of depression and other mood disorders, but researchers are still trying to determine exactly why. Hornstein, Ph.D., co-founder and clinical director of LifeStance Health, thinks everyone who lives in an area with true seasonal change (i.e., fewer daylight hours) should have a light therapy lamp to help curb seasonal affective disorder. Here are the best products to try to combat the effects of seasonal depression.Ĭarex Day-Light Classic Plus, available at Amazon and Walmart, $134 Luckily, there are a number of products and strategies widely used for at-home seasonal affective disorder treatment, like a light therapy lamp, often called a "happy lamp." Other treatments, however, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and medications, require a professional.Īdditional information regarding Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms, and other resources that can help if you feel your mood shift significantly with the changing of the seasons, can be found at the end of this guide. That, in turn, disrupts your sleep and can lead to both depression and insomnia. In people with SAD, shorter winter days can change serotonin and melatonin levels. Two neurotransmitters, serotonin and melatonin, help maintain the body's daily sleep-wake cycles (part of our circadian rhythms) but they're also significantly affected by sunlight. "The human body has a significant connection with its surroundings, including the change of season, the amount of light from the sun, and the atmospheric pressure," Spencer Kroll, MD, Ph.D., an internal medicine specialist at Kroll Medical Group in New Jersey, told Insider. But for some 6 to 14% of Americans, less sunlight and time outside leads to a form of clinical depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). For many, shorter winter days and gloomy weather bring about low energy and a desire to hibernate inside.
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