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Anyone used light lamp for low mood ?

BrightCandle

Senior Member
Messages
1,147
I have been using one for a little over a month, its pretty bright gives sunlight levels of exposure. I find its a more gentle wake up than an alarm when I need to be up but I can't say I have noticed anything positive from it symptom wise. Its a SAD panel light though not a true daylight lamp like some people are using.
 

Judee

Psalm 46:1-3
Messages
4,461
Location
Great Lakes
I did try one...the light boxes that you set nearby and use as you do other things...but I also have light sensitivity and it was hurting my eyes and making headaches worse for me. For that reason, it was almost tortuous to use so I had to send it back.

I find things like a quality fish oil, D-phenylanine (not DL or L which are too stimulating), and the use of things that raise my estrogen (I'm low) help a lot.

Also I have my faith and try to pray when things get too rough...which is a lot of the time with this disease.

Plus, I come here a lot. It's a lot less stressful than FB and any other social media platforms.

Hope you can find something that will work for you.

Edit: I was thinking though if you wanted to try one of those lights (because we are all different) just make sure you get it from some place that will allow you to return it easily.

Also Vitamin D, K2, and Vitamin C helped me a lot with what the Rheumatologist thought was Fibromyalgia. I get whole body achy-ness but my D levels have always tested low. So that was just another thought on something that might help you.

(I use Prohealth brand D and Innovixlabs K2 (because it has no soy) and tapioca vitamin C powder when I take these. I mention that because I've found that brand of D also matters. The only other kind that helps me is the D from fish oils. I haven't been retested yet though so I don't know if these helped my D levels. I just feel less achy when I take them regularly.)
 
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Rebeccare

Moose Enthusiast
Messages
9,064
Location
Massachusetts
I've used a light box for several years, and have found it helpful. Where I live the sun goes down at around 4:20 during the darkest parts of winter, plus it's not unusual to go for a week or so without seeing the sun. Having the light takes the edge off.

Like you, I get migraines, but the light has never triggered them or any other kind of headache for me. I position the light to my side, so I see it out of the corner of my eye but I'm not looking right at it (you aren't supposed to look right at it).

This is the brand of light I have seen recommended most frequently: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PCN4UVU/

When I first got one I was skeptical about whether it would work, so I got a smaller and cheaper model and it's worked well for me.
 

L'engle

moogle
Messages
3,197
Location
Canada
Also Vitamin D, K2, and Vitamin C helped me a lot with what the Rheumatologist thought was Fibromyalgia.

D and K2 are really important. I was getting very sleepy and weaker than normal few days ago and began to eat fish (rich in vitamin d). I felt a bit better within a day. I get troubles with calcium if I take D without K2. The MK-4 form is much more tolerable than the K7 form for me.

I also have light sensitivity and I actually like how it isn't bright in winter, but need to get the same effects from diet or supplements. In the evening I turn the lights way down after about 8pm or I get like an enervated headachey feeling. It's a relief to turn the lights down. But others miss the sun and find light lamps in the morning quite helpful.
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
I bought a huge clunky light box decades ago which I still use when winter blues hit me. I don't need it every year, and it always works when I do need it. One of my daughters bought a small one a few years ago that works just as well for her as my ginormous one does for me.

My instructions say to sit 3' away with the lightbox positioned at a certain height right in front of me, but to not look at the light. I read a book. My daughter's has her closer but off to the side. Neither of us has issues with headaches, but I like the idea of playing with the angle of the light.

If you can be sure of your return policy, I'd give it a try.
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
Messages
16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
@Emmarose47

If the brightness of the SAD light boxes bothers you or if you have extreme light sensitivity, you might want to look into near-infra red/red light research.

There are several good threads on this site, one by @Johannes, who is an intrepid experimenter with it, and a great source of info. Ive posted a link to his thread, below.

There's another one by another member, but it's slipped thru the capacious cracks in what passes for my memory right now. If I can remember the poster, I'll try to come back and hit you a link ...

Red and near-infrared light therapy, LEDs
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/red-and-near-infrared-light-therapy-leds.79181/


And another interesting source of first-hand info and experience is from @Aspen, another valiant experimenter in this area.... here's a link:

My Red/Near Infrared Light Therapy Experiment
https://forums.phoenixrising.me/threads/my-red-near-infrared-light-therapy-experiment.83015/

I know that it seems counter-intuitive to use red and NIR (near-infra red) red to combat depression and low Vit D, ut there are a lot of studies done on it's effectiveness.

Hope this helps !!!
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
Messages
16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
Fabulous thank u ...
In what ways can it be purchased ? I've heard of infared saunas
Not sure which of us you're directing the question to, but I'll jump in and hope I'm not cutting in line ...

NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOO .... please dont confuse infrared saunas with red/NIR light, altho they're similar. The diff is that the sauna version has more to do with generating heat production, and there's no control over what frequency or wave length of light you're getting, a recipe for disasters of various proportions.


Check out the links to the 2 PR threads I posted for you, and do a little google. Some of the set-ups are $$$$, others are more modestly priced .... you need to decide what your needs are and what you want to spend on this ....there are endless options on the internet.

You also need to learn a little about what distance to maintain from the light source, how long each exposure should be ..... you'll read a fair amount about closing your eyes during treatment, but in Europe, red/NIR light is used to heal the eyes of various ills. It's a question of how long, what strength, what wave length ...

I'll dig thru my notes and see what I can find. I was considering this before recent developments overloaded my ability to take on anything more adventurous than cobbling together something for dinner ....
 

Emmarose47

Senior Member
Messages
2,115
Location
UK
Thanks yippee but don't use your precious energy up on it ...sometimes I try to cut corners to not be on internet too much but then I need to remember it means others do more work !
 

Johannes

Senior Member
Messages
314
Not sure which of us you're directing the question to, but I'll jump in and hope I'm not cutting in line ...

NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOO .... please dont confuse infrared saunas with red/NIR light, altho they're similar. The diff is that the sauna version has more to do with generating heat production, and there's no control over what frequency or wave length of light you're getting, a recipe for disasters of various proportions.

Check out the links to the 2 PR threads I posted for you, and do a little google. Some of the set-ups are $$$$, others are more modestly priced .... you need to decide what your needs are and what you want to spend on this ....there are endless options on the internet.

You also need to learn a little about what distance to maintain from the light source, how long each exposure should be ..... you'll read a fair amount about closing your eyes during treatment, but in Europe, red/NIR light is used to heal the eyes of various ills. It's a question of how long, what strength, what wave length ...

I'll dig thru my notes and see what I can find. I was considering this before recent developments overloaded my ability to take on anything more adventurous than cobbling together something for dinner ....


Mitochondrial ATP production is at its peaks with the following wave lenghts: 620nm, 680nm, 760nm, 820nm. I have lately started to think that even if red and NIR light therapy help some people, mitochondria just can't produce ATP without adequate oxygen and nutrition. Which in CFS in the biggest problem.