Winter Blues? Let There Be Light!
“The darkness is closing in,” I said, over and over again. It was almost involuntary. For a few days in late October last year, it felt like I was stuck in low gear, like I was moving in slow motion. My mind felt a bit foggy, too. Even the simplest day-to-day tasks began to feel too much.
It was time again to dig out my light. “Bright Light Therapy” (BLT) can be a game changer for those who experience the winter blues, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. Within a few days, I began to feel a difference in mood and energy level. And how did I know it was really working? When I went to bed with anticipation – even a bit of excitement – of sitting next to the light in the morning! I would spend the first 30 minutes in the morning reading, meditating, and sipping coffee, all while feeling the warmth and absorbing the glow of this artificial sun.
The evidence for the effectiveness of BLT is now quite compelling. One group of researchers, reviewing studies over the past several decades, concluded, “Since the first description of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) by Rosenthal et al. in the 1980s, treatment with daily administration of light, or Bright Light Therapy (BLT), has been proven effective and is now recognized as a first-line therapeutic modality” (Campbell, Miller, and Woesner, 2017). If you haven’t used it, and your doctor hasn’t recommended it, one possibility is that they aren’t aware of its effectiveness. Yes, they’ve heard about it, even perhaps read an article or two in a medical journal, but it’s unlikely that they’ve taken a class, seminar, or workshop in its effectiveness. As one writer observed, “There isn’t much money to be made from the treatment — all it involves is a one-time purchase of a special lamp,” and there aren’t pharmaceutical reps peddling it or offering training (Caryn Rabin, 2011; Swift Yasgur, 2017). Nevertheless, it’s highly effective for Seasonal Affective Disorder, and newer research suggests that it might be as robust a treatment for non-seasonal depression, or depression in general, as antidepressant medications (Caryn Rabin, 2011). For non-seasonal depression, one meta-analysis (which is a statistical review of the literature) found BLT, when used alone, to have “a beneficial effect on depression” for people diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and to be most impactful when used in combination with antidepressants (Swift Yasgur, 2017).
October 2023 has just begun, and my guess is that a lot of us will feel the heaviness even more intensely this year given the weight of the world. So, here’s the question. Why not consider trying BLT, if not for depression generally, then for Seasonal Affective Disorder or even just winter blues? As one doctor remarked, “BLT is safe and although there can be side effects, they are rare. The risk-reward ratio is good” (Swift Yasgur, 2017). To learn more about what kind of light to purchase, there are numerous reviews online, including these guidelines by the Mayo Clinic. And, as always, please check with your health care provider first.
References
Campbell, P., Miller, A., and Woesner, M. (2017). Bright light therapy: Seasonal affective disorder and beyond. The Einstein Journal of Biology and Medicine. Retrieved 11/25/2019.
Caryn Rabin, R. (2011). Light therapy for depression. New York Times. Retrieved 11/25/2019.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016). Seasonal affective disorder treatment: Choosing a light therapy box. Retrieved 11/25/2019.
Swift Yasgur, B. (2017). Bright light therapy for nonseasonal depression: An emerging intervention. Psychiatry Advisor. Retrieved 11/25/2019.
