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Daylight FAQ by Uplift Technologies
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What is light therapy?
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What is light therapy used for?
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What is the difference between Seasonal Affective
Disorder (SAD) and the Winter Blues?
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How prevalent is SAD?
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How do I know if I could benefit from using a
bright light system?
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Have bright light systems been proven to work?
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How do bright lights work?
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How long does it take to experience the benefits
of using bright light therapy?
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Could I get the same benefits by increasing the
lighting in my home and office?
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What about spending more time outdoors -- would
that work?
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Are there any side-effects from using bright
light systems?
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What if I’m on antidepressants, can I use
lights?
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When is the use of a bright light system not
recommended?
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Are bright lights medically approved?
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Are lights covered under my medical insurance,
and do I require a prescription?
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Why do research experts and medical doctors
recommend the Day-Light system for light therapy?
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What is the correct way to use Day-Lights for
therapy sessions?
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Why do I need 10,000 Lux?
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Can Day-Lights be used in other ways?
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Do Day-Lights cause tanning?
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Are Day-Lights expensive to buy and maintain?
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What if the Day-Light doesn’t work for me?
What is light therapy?
Light therapy involves daily, scheduled
exposure to intense levels of artificial light in order to regulate seasonal
mood swings, improve sleeping patterns, and produce a general sense of
well-being. According to medical researchers, the fluorescent light box is
the preferred device for light therapy, with a recommended starting dose of
10,000 Lux for 30 minutes per day. (Lux is the unit of measuring the
illumination intensity of light.)
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What is light therapy used for?
Light therapy was originally tested and
developed by medical experts in the early 1980’s for treating Seasonal
Affective Disorder (SAD) - a type of recurrent, major depression regularly
experienced by some people during the fall and winter months. Those with SAD
are often quite incapacitated by depressive episodes and require medical
treatment. During the spring and summer, however, their symptoms usually
disappear. More recently, researchers have explored the benefits of using
bright light therapy on people with “subsyndromal” SAD - commonly known as
the “Winter Blues,” and studies indicate a good response rate. Other
conditions for which light therapy looks promising include non-seasonal
depression, bulimia nervosa, panic disorder and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Doctors who use lights with pregnant women to avoid pre- and post-natal
depression have reported encouraging results. Other studies show light
therapy useful in certain disorders of the circadian system (i.e., the
internal biological clock) including circadian sleep phase disorders,
shift work, and jet lag.
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What is the difference between Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and the
Winter Blues?
Many people, especially in northern latitudes
where winter hours of daylight are fewer, complain of feeling down, having
less energy, putting on weight and having a hard time getting up in the
morning. This is what we refer to as “having the Winter Blues.” Although
there are variances among individuals, most people with SAD experience all
of these symptoms, but to a much greater degree. They are often chronically
depressed and fatigued, and want to withdraw from the world. They may
increase their sleep by as much as four or more hours per day, or have
greatly increased appetites - sometimes accompanied by extreme cravings for
sweet and starchy foods. Women frequently report worsening of premenstrual
symptoms. In short, people with SAD suffer in the extreme the kinds of
changes most of us experience in wintertime, and require medical treatment -
either light therapy or antidepressants.
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How prevalent is SAD?
According to a recent report published by the
Canadian Consensus Group for the Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder
(please see reference section), SAD is conservatively estimated to occur in
up to 3% of the Canadian population, and 1% of the US. For recent population
figures, that means as many as 3 million Americans and 900,000 Canadians
suffer from SAD. The number of people, however, who experience the Winter
Blues is much greater. A recent estimate suggests eleven times as many
people suffer from the Winter Blues as are diagnosed with SAD, and some
studies indicate as much as 25% of the Canadian population experience some
degree of winter doldrums. Women are at least twice as likely to have SAD as
men.
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How do I know if I could benefit from using a bright light system?
You could benefit from using a bright light
system if you experience any combination of the following symptoms during
the winter months: feeling down, moodiness, loss of energy, fatigue,
lethargy, difficulty getting up in the morning, excessive sleeping, loss of
sex drive, social withdrawal, cravings for carbohydrates, weight gain. You
may also benefit from using a light if you are a shift worker, or frequent
flyer. If you suspect you have SAD, consult your physician for treatment
guidelines. Individuals respond differently to various treatments and need
to be supervised by a medical professional.
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Have bright light systems been proven to work?
Yes. Since the first controlled light therapy
study in 1984, there have been more than 60 controlled studies published by
researchers around the world. Experts are now confident that bright lights
work for the majority of people with SAD. (Response rates of 60% to 90% have
been shown). Accordingly, a report called the Canadian Consensus Guidelines
for the Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder (published in 1999 and
partially funded by Pfizer) recommends light therapy as an effective
first-line treatment for SAD. Several controlled studies have also found
light therapy beneficial for those with subsyndromal SAD (Winter Blues), and
its effects on human body rhythms, independent of any effects on mood, are
recognized (e.g., for shift work or jet lag). Although medical researchers
are hesitant to make treatment recommendations without further research in
these areas, the Canadian Consensus Group considers existing studies
“encouraging.”
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How do bright lights work?
The exact cause of Seasonal Affective
Disorder has yet to be scientifically proven, and so the mechanism by which
bright lights work remains hypothetical. However, light therapy has been
statistically proven effective in the treatment of SAD, which puts the role
that daylight plays in regulating our daily body rhythms in the forefront of
research.
Two main hypotheses are postulated:
- Bright lights work because they reset the
daily body clock (i.e., circadian rhythms) which, for people with SAD,
tends to get out of balance during the winter;
- or Bright lights work because they help
increase the level of the serotonin (a neurotransmitter that positively
affects moods) which would otherwise decrease in the fall and winter.
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How long does it take to experience the benefits of using bright light
therapy?
Response to light therapy is usually very
quick, and most people will notice a marked improvement within one week.
Most people similarly experience a rapid recurrence of symptoms if they stop
using their bright light system. Longer trials have also shown increasing
response to light therapy after two weeks, with still more incremental
improvements after three or four weeks. Therefore, it is recommended that
you continue to use a bright light system for at least a month before
concluding it will not help you.
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Could I get the same benefits by increasing the lighting in my home and
office?
If you are particularly light-sensitive, you
may feel more uplifted with increased exposure to normal room lighting.
However, research studies show that much higher light intensities (at least
2,000 Lux) are required in order to produce the desired therapeutic effects,
and it is just not possible using regular fixtures to get ambient lighting
above 600 Lux. Note also that medical experts caution against constructing
your own bright light apparatus because of possible electrical hazards, as
well as the difficulty in determining adequate light intensity and ensuring
ultraviolet (UV) light rays are properly filtered out.
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What about spending more time outdoors -- would that work?
You should be able to satisfy your need for
light by spending more time outdoors during the fall and winter days, as
long as you can be outdoors regularly and for extended periods of time if
conditions are cloudy. Most people find that difficult to do if they work
indoors and have to keep an office schedule. The use of a 10,000 Lux bright
light system is therefore the most convenient way to get the light you nee
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Are there any side-effects from using bright light systems?
Using a properly constructed bright light
system as recommended is considered very safe, and few people have to desist
use because of side effects. A few temporary side effects, such as slight
nausea, tend to pass quickly as you get used to the high intensity of light.
The majority of side effects, such as headache, eye strain, agitation,
insomnia or difficulty getting to sleep, are caused by overdoing light
therapy sessions. (In this case, it is possible to get “too much of a good
thing.”) Such symptoms usually disappear when you decrease the “dosage” of
light to your optimal level (usually in the 20 to 30 minute range). If you
have clinically diagnosed SAD, you may experience other personal variances
which should be assessed and monitored by your doctor.
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What if I’m on antidepressants, can I use lights?
That depends. If your depressive episodes are
not seasonally triggered, it is unlikely that a bright light system alone
will alleviate your symptoms. However, a bright light might help uplift your
mood, and, if your doctor recommends it, can be used in conjunction with
your medication. For treating SAD, bright light systems are recommended as
the first-line, “gold standard” treatment. Many people enjoy remission of
symptoms simply by using light therapy. Others may not respond at all,
though they are in the minority. Still others may be prescribed
anti-depressants in conjunction with light treatment. Because individual
needs can vary widely, your treatment regime should be supervised by your
doctor.
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When is the use of a bright light system not recommended?
There are no absolute contraindications to
light therapy. However, if you have any eye problems (e.g., glaucoma,
cataracts, retinal detachment, retinopathy) or have predisposing factors for
eye complications (e.g., diabetes, lupus), or if you are taking medications
that have photosensitizing effects in humans (e.g., lithium, melatonin), you
should not use a bright light system without first consulting your
physician. Your doctor will need to assess your individual risk-benefit
ratio of using bright lights.
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Are bright lights medically approved?
At this point in time, bright light systems
have not been approved as “medical devices” by government regulatory
agencies in either the US or Canada. However, in so far as researchers have
proven the effectiveness of light therapy and recommend it as a first-line
treatment for SAD, bright light systems have gained the approval of the
respected medical community. It will take time for regulatory bodies to
catch up with research.
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Are lights covered under my medical insurance, and do I require a
prescription?
Many private insurance companies recognize
the benefits of light therapy and its cost advantages over antidepressant
medication, and will cover the purchase of a light system with a
prescription from your doctor. You should phone your insurance company
before making the purchase to discuss coverage and specific documentation
requirements. Bright lights are not approved for reimbursement under
Medicare, and are available widely for purchase without a prescription.
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Why do research experts and medical doctors recommend the Day-Light system
for light therapy?
The Day-Light 10,000 Classic, manufactured by
Uplift Technologies Inc., is recommended by doctors because it has been used
in clinical studies across North America since 1989 and has been proven safe
and effective. Most recently, the Day-Light 10,000 Classic was selected by
Dr. Raymond Lam, Medical Director for the Mood Disorders Program at the
University of British Columbia Hospital, for use in a three-year, 200-person
controlled study of light therapy for treating SAD. Dr. Lam says he selected
Day-Lights because “they use the latest technology, are of excellent
quality, durability and aesthetics, and meet all recommend-ed safety
standards. The company also has a track record of dependability.”
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What is the correct way to use Day-Lights for therapy sessions?
For light therapy sessions, you would use
your Day-Light each morning for 20-30 minutes during the fall and winter
months. To receive 10,000 Lux, you would need to sit approximately 12 to 15
inches from the light. During the session, you should NOT look directly into
the light, but read, eat breakfast or do some paperwork.
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Why do I need 10,000 Lux?
10,000 Lux for 30 minutes in the morning is
what the experts recommend as a starting dosage for light therapy.
Individuals may need to adjust the duration up or down from the 30 minute
starting time, or use the light at a different time of day, depending on
personal response to treatment. You can also get the appropriate dosage of
light using a 2,500 Lux system for two hours per day, but obviously this is
far less convenient for most people. Both our Day-Light 10,000 Classic and
F/X models provide 10,000 Lux at 12 to 15 inches.
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Can Day-Lights be used in other ways?
The quality of the light emitted by
Day-Lights is very pleasant, and is enjoyed by many outside the context of
light therapy. Positioned at arms length, or directed away from the face,
they make excellent ambient, reading and work lights. Depending on your
personal needs, you could choose either the Day-Light 10,000 Classic for its
portability, or the Day-Light 10,000 F/X model for its versatility. The
Classic model can be easily moved from room to room, set on a shelf to
create an inviting light window, or positioned on a side table for reading.
The versatile Day-Light 10,000 F/X doubles as a powerful work or desk lamp.
It takes up none of your surface work space, can be attached conveniently to
your desk at the office, or used in a context where you need precise control
over the angle of light.
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Do Day-Lights cause tanning?
Day-Lights do not cause tanning because the
ultraviolet (UV) rays that cause tanning are filtered out. Medical experts
caution that exposure to unfiltered bright lights for extended periods of
time may eventually cause ocular damage. It is the intensity of light that
provides the therapeutic advantage, not the light spectrum. Be wary of “full
spectrum” lights unless they are UV filtered
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Are Day-Lights expensive to buy and maintain?
In the US, the retail price for quality-made,
name-brand bright light systems is between $300 and $500. The suggested
retail price for the Day-Light 10,000 Classic and F/X models is $349.95 US.
Actual prices may vary. Day-Lights conform to all technical design
guidelines recommended by medical experts for light therapy equipment:
- Day-Lights meet all safety standards
(i.e., they are CSA/UL approved and UV filtered). Day-Lights emit the
optimal “dosage” of light for 20-30 minute daily light therapy sessions
(i.e., 10,000 Lux).
- The Day-Light 10,000 Classic has been used
in clinical studies since 1989 and has been proven effective.
- Day-Lights have a diffusing filter and a
high efficiency ballast to eliminate glare and light flicker, which
ensures the user’s comfort during light therapy sessions.
Day-Lights are warranted for five years
(excluding light tubes) during normal use. Light tubes are rated for 20,000
hours of use, but to maintain 10,000 Lux intensity we recommend replacing
them every three years. Replacement tubes are available from your dealer or
from specialty lighting stores for around $25 US each.
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What if the Day-Light doesn’t work for me?
You will need a one to four week trial period
to see if the Day-Light system works for you. Look for vendors who offer
either a 30-day money-back guarantee, or a short-term rental program with
rent applied to purchase price. Ask vendor for details before purchasing.
(Amjo offers a 30 day no questions asked return policy, however we do charge
a 15% restock charge to allow for re-testing and re-boxing form shipment.
Click here for Amjo's return policy)
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Copyright © 2000 Uplift
Technologies Inc.
References & Further Reading
- Canadian Consensus Guidelines
for the Treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder
Lam, Raymond W. and Levitt, Anthony J., Editors, Clinical and Academic
Publishing, Canada, 1999
- Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective
Disorder: What It Is And How To Overcome It
Rosenthal, Norman E, Guilford Press, New York, 1998
- Seasonal Affective Disorder and
Beyond: Light Treatment for SAD and Non-SAD Conditions
Lam, Raymond W., Editor, American Psychiatric Press, Washington DC, 1998
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