Thursday, April 26, 2012

Seasonal Affective Disorder Lighting

Back in the middle of Winter, if you can really call it that this year, I noticed a few friends in the Northeastern US on Facebook comment about the lack of sunshine.  When we used to live in Western NY, we knew that all too well.  One very bad winter we decided we had enough and we now live in sunny Florida and we hardly ever go a full day or more without sunshine.  However, I vividly remember how dreary the weather could get and it really does wear on you after a while.

That got me thinking about those Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD lights, which is kind of ironic because the lights are actually supposed to make you happy and not sad.  I would have called them Happy SAD lights.  Since I live in Florida, I really didn't have a need to purchase a SAD light myself, but I really wanted to try one out and thought it could provide a benefit for my readers as well.  And I do worship the sun, so I figured this could take the place of some of my sun time. 

Luckily for me and for your benefit today, I was able to convince one company with one of the highest rated SAD lights on Amazon to send me one.  I am always sure to remain unbiased when doing any product reviews.  This is the first product I've actually received free of charge, but I may try to get additional products to review that I think would benefit others in some way so that I can review them here for you.

So let's get to it...This is the SunTouch Plus by NatureBright and it has a 10,000 LUX light that simulates a bright blue sky and it also has a negative ion generator as well.


Really it's incredibly easy to utilize and operate.  There is an on-off button with a blue LED light, you can set the timer for 15/30/45/60 minutes and you can optionally turn on the negative ion generator as well.  That's all there is to it.  And it came right out of the box ready to plug-in, there is no assembly required. 


I place the SunTouch Plus light next to my keyboard/monitor in my office and use it when I'm on the computer.


Their recommendation is to utilize the light for 30 minutes each day for the first week to get the maximum benefit and then you can use it as you'd like after that.  It's best to utilize it in the morning, as that is when your body's natural rhythms would be accustom to bright light.  However, I found it difficult to utilize every morning, since I barely have 5 free minutes in the morning.  I sometimes utilize it when I get home from work and it does not keep me up at night or anything.

I utilize the light the two days I work from home each week and sometimes on weekends, but I did not end up utilizing it for 7 days in a row for 30 minutes each day.  I'd say I have been using it 4 days a week for 30 minutes at a time for a little over a month.

Initially, I wasn't a fan of the negative ion generator just in general, but I grew to like it and do use it now.  They say it gives off a smell that you experience after a rain storm that most people find pleasant.

My honest overall opinion of the Suntouch Plus is that it makes me happy when the light is on.  It does give me a boost in the mornings when I use it, but it's not the same feeling that I get from being out in the sun for 30 minutes.  But then again, you're also not getting the harmful UV rays from the sun either, so that is a good thing.

I am not a doctor and am not aware of any negative effects from utilizing SAD lighting, but be sure to do your own research there if you have any concerns.  

If I were suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder or just wanted to get a boost of simulated sunshine, I would definitely purchase the SunTouch Plus by NatureBright.  It's a great product and as I like to say, it just works!  It does what it's supposed to, nothing more, nothing less. 

I hope you found this useful and if you have any questions, please let me know and I'd be glad to try and answer them.  If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder and decide to try out the product, I truly hope it provides relief and I'd love to hear how it works for you!

1 comments :

Jen said...

It's very interesting! I love the sun too much and also live in a warm sunny state, but I can see the benefits.

 
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