Everyone suffers from seasonal affective
disorder to some extent. However, not everyone suffers to the degree of needing
help. Some individuals only ever experience a much milder form known as the winter
blues.
SAD light therapy products such as SAD light
therapy boxes, as well as artificial dawn simulators, are a non-chemical,
non-invasive way to help maintain your bodies' natural hormonal balance. They
are an artificial substitute for natural light and a natural sunrise.
Do
you need SAD light therapy? That is a good question. People who suffer from seasonal
affective disorder usually experience increased moodiness, lethargy, appetites,
and insomnia. Symptoms normally start around August or September with just a general
feeling of lethargy and sleepiness and progress into more depressive moody behavior
with increased periods of agitation as autumn progresses. The symptoms generally
diminish around the end of March or early spring with the increasing daylight
hours.
SAD
light therapy products, as well as artificial dawn simulators,
help to regulate the production of the hormones serotonin and melatonin. Low serotonin
levels are believed to be the causes of many cases of mild to severe depression,
anxiety, apathy, fatigue, and insomnia. Melatonin is the chief regulator of our
circadian rhythms or sleep cycles. Increase in production of this hormone attributes
to fatigue, sleepiness, and excessive eating and weight gain. The decrease in
production of one hormone is linked to the increased production in the other hormone
resulting in the seasonal disorders.
An artificial dawn simulator
works by simulating sunrise. Our internal body clocks are set by how light or
dark our environment is. In the wintertime we are trying to wake while it is still
dark and our bodies are still producing the sleep hormone melatonin. This hormone
is produced in the absensce of light. By initiating sunrise with an artificial
dawn simulator 30-60 minutes prior to waking you are helping to stop the production
of melatonin in your body allowing your body to wake up in a more natural restful
way. There are also dawn dusk simulators that imitate the natural
cycle of light. They are primarily artificial dawn simulators that can be programmed
for dusk simulation as well. Dawn dusk simulators prepares your body to wake and
sleep naturally with light cues.
SAD light therapy works for everyone whether
or not you have seasonal affective disorder or not. We all feel better when it
is nice and bright around us. SAD light therapy boxes can help you create a lively
atmosphere to keep the winter blues away.
