Help

Hi - I posted the other day that I was having some problems with my depression so I increased the light to 45 minutes in the morning but I still continue to go downhill (waking early in the am and can't get back to sleep, very irritable, bad concentration, etc). My doc doesn't know much about using the lights but said maybe to spread the light out over the day. Do others do it this way and how often and how late in the day? Thanks - any info would be greatly appreciated. Cathy.

Honestly, I wake to a lightbox on a timer. I get up and sit at the computer with a lightbox. When I go to work, I have a bright "daylight" desk lamp. It's not an official "light therapy" lamp, but it gets me through the day... I bought it because I was falling asleep during my lunch hour and around 2pm!

Then, I come home and use the light box at my desk. I turn it off around 8pm, so that I get to bed OK. I also exercise a bit in the evenings, around 6:30 or 7pm -- I just walk in place while I watch a TV show and the exercise has been a real mood booster and it helps me sleep.

I don't believe you can "overdose" on the light. Use it as much as you need and take notes on how it affects you.

Turn the light off earlier if you find you have troubles sleeping. Turn the light off if you start getting eyestrain or headaches or if you feel overly-energetic.

You'll have to find your own pattern, and it's trial-and-error, but as far as I know, those things I listed above are the only side-effects of overuse, so it's nothing serious.

I've needed to use the light much more than most people. It might be because I also have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, both of which can be very draining on my energy level.

You might want to consider exercise before 7:30pm and see if it helps you sleep any better. It's been a fantastic help to me. Rosenthal in "Winter Blues" documents that people who have SAD have sleep troubles... basically, we don't get "deep" sleep (stage 4 or 'REM' sleep). Now he doesn't go on to talk about that much in the book... but in other words, I'm not surprised you mention sleep troubles.

Exercise is a good, natural way of getting the body to produce chemicals that help you sleep better at night.

My own problem with sleep isn't that I wake early. I can sleep for 8-10 hours and feel like I've slept 4-5 hours. I don't get "quality" sleep.

If this continues, you may want to consider evaluation by a sleep clinic. I had told the doctor who referred me to the sleep clinic, "Oh, I take benedryl at night to help me sleep and it helps my allergies." He told me that if I rely on benedryl, I'll start feeling wiped out around 2 or 3pm... and he's so right about it!

Another thing you may want to consider about sleep... Do you take any meds close to bedtime? You may need to adjust when you take your meds during the day! I just learned from an allergist (ugh, I've got too many health troubles right now!) that if you take a decongestant (pseudophed, for example) before bed, it can disrupt your sleep. Check with your doctor to see if any meds could be affecting your sleep!

Also, if you have any pain troubles like arthritis, that can affect your sleep. Acid reflux can affect your sleep. Make sure that if you're taking any meds for these problems, that the meds are working OK for you. If not, you might need to get an adjustment.

If you find you're waking for the bathroom and can't sleep, you may want to pay attention to see if you're drinking liquids before bedtime... try to drink them earlier.

Caffeine can affect your sleep, big time. You may need to eliminate caffeine from your routine or try avoiding it altogether in the evening... switch to decaf or herbal tea. Decaf sodas/colas.

Sorry for the long, long meessage but I've learned a lot in my trying to understand my own sleep troubles. I don't think Rosenthal pays enough attention to it, but then again I have fibromyalgia AND SAD, which both affect my "deep sleep" cycle. Double whammy.

Good luck!