Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

S.A.D. and broad spectrum lights question

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    S.A.D. and broad spectrum lights question

    I suffer from SAD (seasonal affect disorder) and have for some time now. I take an anti-depressant but have found that during the fall and winter months, they don't begin to touch the slump I feel during this time. Living in the wet and cloudy part of the country doesn't help matters either!

    A friend of mine suggested that I try one of those broad spectrum table top lighting units. I bought one(mid- priced) and am now sitting beside one as I post.

    Does anyone else have SAD and have tried these type of lamps? Has it helped you feel lifted during the dark months of the year? How much time do you spend beside the lights? Do you use it both in the morning and evening (as the literature suggests?)

    Thanks for any help or suggestions. MS is depressing enough!
    1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
    Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

    #2
    Bumping this up. Anyone???
    1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
    Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

    Comment


      #3
      Seasha, Sorry I do not have nor have I ever used one of these lights.

      But I too seem to suffer from SAD - every year around October I start going into a slump. I have noted that my vit. D levels seem to be lower by the first of the year (even with supplements), and I usually end up asking for an anti-depressant before spring arrives.

      Please keep us informed as to how well the light works.

      Comment


        #4
        Sorry to hear you suffer also, msgijo.

        This is what I found from the Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-c...t/art-20048298

        Note that it recommends that taking an anti-d makes using the lights more effective. You might want to talk with your doctor about getting on one year round instead of late winter. It has helped me. I also up my dosage of vit. D3 during the fall and winter months.

        I garden during the spring and summer. It is a form of exercise that I can still do and I think this helps me keep my endorphin levels high, which also helps with depression.

        I think it's too early to judge if the lights are helping me - ask me again in January
        1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
        Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

        Comment


          #5
          Lights and Vitamin D

          My mother and I have both had success with the sunlight spectrum lightbulbs. Warning: don't use them too late into the evening or you might not be able to sleep! Has happened to both of us.

          I also have had good experience with increasing my vitamin D in the fall/winter - but check with your doctor to be sure s/he thinks it's okay. I had one who was concerned about increasing my risk for kidney stones. I pointed out that a kidney stone can be cured, but a spinal cord lesion is forever..... at least she laughed.

          One thing I found helpful one winter (haven't felt the need more recently): find one of the bulbs that will work with a timer (not all will - it will be stated on the packaging), and put it in a lamp on a timer in your bedroom. Have it turn on 30 minutes before you have to get up. It helped me out in a particularly grim winter in the Upper Midwest. Didn't think about it the year I was in the Pacific Northwest. Probably would've made my stay a lot better.

          Good luck!

          Comment


            #6
            Thanks for the tips, Nabbosa! I think the lights are helping me. I am up to 30 minutes and placed next to my computer in the mornings after I;m fully awake - never at night.

            One thing I found helpful one winter (haven't felt the need more recently): find one of the bulbs that will work with a timer (not all will - it will be stated on the packaging), and put it in a lamp on a timer in your bedroom. Have it turn on 30 minutes before you have to get up.
            I know someone here who does that, but don't know if that will help. The last 2 weeks, I;ve been on a strange pattern - getting up at dark 5-5:30 (mother nature calls plus I'm hungry), staying awake for an hour or so and going back to bed for another hour or so.

            Anyway, I am not as depressed this winter and feel no effects of SAD! I'm also taking 10000 of Vit D3 this winter to maintain my level of 76. Dr is pleased with that number
            1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
            Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

            Comment


              #7
              SAD Lamps

              I couldn't live without mine.

              Comment

              Working...
              X