Bright Light Therapy, or BLT, is touted as one of the best treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder and more recently as a successful treatment for non-seasonal depressive disorder. The research backing this is exhaustive, and while not quite up to par with pharmaceutical trials in terms of subject size and duration of treatment, the published studies are quite convincing. The idea is simple. By sitting/standing in front of a bright light for 30 minutes a day you can be happier, more energetic and start sleeping better in as little as one week. If this sounds too good to be true it is because while the research is accurate, the products that claim to have the same benefit often leave individuals quite disappointed. Let’s look at what the research says is effective. There are three key elements that are critical to successful treatment: type of light, duration of exposure, and LUX rating.
Key Elements to Effective Treatment
White Light
The first one is easy to explain. The type of light required for effective treatment is White light or what we see as visible light. White light contains rays of red, orange, yellow, green and blue light and all these together form the visible spectrum of light. Infrared light and ultraviolet light are invisible to the human eye and are outside of the white light spectrum. You may have heard some bad things about Blue light due to too much exposure with electronics, but the truth is blue light is beneficial and necessary in moderation. Too much of a good thing can be bad and reducing blue light, especially at night, is beneficial to proper sleep and eye health. Most, if not all, of the BLT lamps are white light. Some are blue light, but for SAD white light is preferred.
Exposure Time
The second element is duration of exposure. The studies that have been conducted have looked at daily time frames from 15 minutes to 4 hours and over the course of weeks to months. The consensus for efficacy and practicality is 30 mins to 2 hours depending on LUX. Most individuals can find 30 mins to be in contact with BLT, but as you get longer, 2 hours can seem like an eternity with our bust life styles. LUX will be the determining factor in the daily duration and we will get more in depth with that shortly. The ideal time to use BLT is in the morning shortly after waking. There have been a few studies showing slight benefits to evening and late afternoon use, but many individuals may experience a disturbance in sleep as a result. A professional that is trained in understanding sleep cycles will be the best person to prescribe the proper treatment for you. Now the duration of use was found to be best at 2-6 weeks with most of the studies favoring the 2-3 week mark. Everyone is going to respond differently, and duration of treatment should be discussed with your provider for best results.
LUX – The measure of light
The final key element is LUX, or the measure of light produced in each area. You may be familiar with the term lumens as it is what we see light bulbs and other illuminating devices measured in. Lumens is the measure of light that is produced from a source. LUX is the number of lumens per square meter. What does this mean? Well let’s say you have 2 lamps that are both rated at 10,000 LUX. Lamp 1 is rated for 20-24 inches and Lamp 2 is rated for 8-12 inches. Lamp 1 is a lamp that can be feasibly used on a desk or while reading and will be effective in BLT at up to 2 feet away. Lamp 2 however, needs to be less than a foot from your eyes, which is close, and as the distance is increased the LUX rating is decreased. Moving Lamp 2 the same distance as Lamp 1 will reduce LUX to 5000 and require twice as much exposure time for the same results. Ideally you want a lamp that can produce 10000 LUX in less than 2 feet or that will require duration of under an hour.
Recommended product
I prefer to use lights from the Sun Box* company in my office and to recommend to clients. I love this company because they give you all the information right up front. For each light they tell you the appropriate distance for 10K, 5K, and 2.5K as well as duration of time needed to receive equal exposure. Their Sunlight Jr desk lamp offers 10K lumens at 14inches and 5k lumens at 19inches. At the 19inch mark you will receive adequate exposure in under 60 minutes. They offer larger lights as well as more portable solutions. I offer a rental program through my office for current clients and several other distributors do as well. This offers you a trial of BLT before committing to purchasing the product. Many clients choose to rent through the season and not have to incur the full cost of purchasing the item.
In a future post I will be doing an in-depth LUX analysis on some of the top products that are currently being offered in the Bright Light Therapy space.
*Sun Box lamps are offered for daily, weekly, and monthly rentals through Abby Road Psychiatric Services. I am not paid to promote or endorse these products.
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