OTT Lights to Combat SAD
SAD, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder or the winter blues, affects a surprising amount of the population each winter. Up to ten percent of people in the highest latitudes can be affected by some form of SAD each winter. But there’s no reason to waste a day feeling down. With OTT lights and full spectrum lighting, there’s no need to feel blue anymore.
SAD is a sense of depression that can result in being excessively tired, weight gain, irritability, and even a decreased sex drive. It strikes in the winter because it’s caused by a imbalance of melatonin, the chemical responsible for inducing sleep, and serotonin, the brain chemical that makes you happy. The imbalance is caused by lack of exposure to sunlights.
If you suffer from problem in the winter, one of the most effective solutions is to use a light box daily, also known as SAD lamps. The light from the box needs to be full spectrum so that it emulates actual sunlight and it needs to go in through the eye so that the hormones are stimulated.
To treat your winter blues with a full spectrum light, you need to have about an hour to an hour and a half where you will be in the same location. Place a light near where you are and turn it on. You don’t have to sit there and stare at the light though, you can read, watch TV, do your work, or anything else you would be doing on a normal day. Try start your treatment as early in the morning as possible. It also doesn’t matter if the treatment is interrupted, there’s no problem with stopping and coming back later as long as you get the total amount of time in throughout the day.
If you feel a little depressed over the winter every year, there is no reason for you to be blue! Invest in a full spectrum light and watch your depression fade away.
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