If you've ever craved a holiday spent on a warm, sunny beach during the drab days of winter, it might not just be a flight of fancy. Light, especially sunlight, has healing properties for the mind and body. Certain biochemicals and vitamins cannot be processed without sunlight (such as serotonin and vitamin D), and the mind suffers depression far more easily in the absence of longer summer days, making light therapy an ideal solution to the winter blues.
What is Light Therapy?
Light therapy, also known as phototherapy, is the controlled exposure of full spectrum light, delivered through specialized bulbs that can mimic sunlight. It has been effectively used to treat conditions such as acne, psoriasis and most notably, seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Though their efficacy hasn't been scientifically measured, patients who use these devices for SAD have reported significant improvement in symptoms in as little as 30 minutes treatment per day.
Who Should Use It?
Conditions that can benefit from light therapy include seasonal affective disorder, certain sleep disorders, mild to moderate depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), postpartum depression and jet lag. And according to the Mayo Clinic, you should consider light therapy if you don't want to or can't tolerate medications such as antidepressants, want an alternative to psychotherapy, if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, your insurance doesn't cover mental health services, or you do not have access to these services.
How it Works
Sunlight is known to affect circadian rhythms--your natural body clock--as well as suppress your body's production of melatonin. Combined, these biochemical changes reduce the severity of disorders such as SAD. And though light therapy has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it is still considered as the primary treatment for seasonal affective disorder.
In order to achieve optimal results, three factors must be considered: duration, timing and light intensity. The most effective therapy durations are found between 30 minutes to 2 hours exposure per day. And most people respond best to light therapy in the morning since evening therapy can disrupt natural sleep cycles.
The intensity of light is also important. Light therapy boxes usually produce between 2,500 and 10,000 lux, whereas the average living room only has 400 lux of natural light in the evenings.
Side Effects
Though side effects are uncommon, they can happen. The most common include eyestrain, headache, agitation, nausea, vomiting, irritability, fatigue, dry mouth, sleep problems and/or mania.
Most side effects are mild and will go away within a few days of beginning treatment. But any side effects that persist should be discussed with your doctor. Modifications of treatment duration and times can often relieve side effects.
Still, there are some instances when light therapy is not appropriate due to other medical conditions. For example, if you have a light sensitivity, take medications that react to sunlight or have an eye condition that makes you more susceptible to light damage, then you should explore other treatment options.
Also, if you have bipolar disorder or severe depression, light therapy would not be an option due to the risk of manic episodes and, in some cases, increased suicidal thoughts.
Conclusion
Compared to medications alone, which can take weeks or sometimes months to reach therapeutic levels, light therapy can begin to relieve symptoms within days of starting treatment. In order to improve the efficacy of your treatments, it is important to be consistent and to tailor therapy to your body's specific needs.
And though some people do achieve complete relief through light therapy, many find they need to take medications while using a light therapy box.
Tags: light therapy, affective disorder, seasonal affective, seasonal affective disorder, side effects, take medications, within days