Hello all SAD sufferers I have a ? about the type of light

I hope someone else replies to this who has done some research in this subject. I can only tell you that I have a lightbox from Outside In, a Pharos I think. It was quite expensive, around £220. I was feeling desperate and acted completely inpulsively and bought the first lightbox that Google came up with! I do have a problem with making impulsive unthought-out decisions when feeling very depressed but it seems that fortunately, purely by luck, I made a good choice as it does work well.

I was recently told that you can buy special fluorescant tubes for SAD sufferers - if this is true could I replace the conventional tubes in my office with them and will they be as good as a lightbox?

i think good lighting is a sensible idea in your work place as it is going to help you cope with the dark days a bit better.... but it isnt going to have as big an effect as a light box, as someone already said, they are particulary intense and need cose up veiwing.

however maximising the natural light in the workplace/home would be a great start, every little bit is a help.

ive moved my desk in my room at uni so that its against the window along with the head end of my bed. this way i get the full blast of light whilst im working and also in the mornings as i sleep with the curtains open (luckily im not overlooked) if someone stays over and i shut the curtains i really feel the difference when im trying to wake up!

decorating your room with light colours and mirrors also help light levels to be maximised along with bright lighting... but id never say go for that over a light box... it justr isnt powerful enough to make the difference that you need.

If you want to replace your regular lighting at home, I've got an idea.

You can find these at your local big box hardware store, I got mine at Home Depot. They're full-spectrum/daylight/sunlight/*insert your daylight gimmick word here* flourescent bulbs.

They look like this:

http://www.conservastore.com/productimages/03-0013.jpg

But make sure they're the "daylight" or whatever bulbs.

The light from these bulbs isn't blindingly bright, but it is an EXTREME movement away from that yellow tint of regular generic incandescent bulbs that you probably have in your home right now. I always hated how regular bulbs' light looked. The light isn't necessarily white as much as it is just natural light. It's not really any color.

Sylvania claims to make the best ones, but I went with Home Depot's generic brand and they are all I could expect and more.

PROS:
-Use about 1/4th the energy, supposedly we're saving hundreds of dollars a year with these based on having the flourescent light on for 4 hours compared to a incandescent with the same brightness for 4 hours, and we have them on for even longer here in dark Wisconsin, so we should be saving even more

-Looks much much better than regular incandescents, and makes a complete fool out of those GE Reveal bulbs that say they make light close to daylight (what a joke, you'll know what I mean if you've ever tried to use those reveal bulbs. They don't work at all, at least once you've been spoiled by the lights I have now)

-Based on 4 hours a day usage, they last for 7 years (long time!).

-Work much better than the incandescent (normal-looking light bulb) full-spectrum bulbs, by a long shot. (once again, if you've tried REVEALs, you know what I mean)

CONS:
-Can't be used in dimmable fixtures (they won't explode or anything if you try to dim them, but they will buzz and flicker). Wasn't a problem for me. I just went ahead and replaced our dimmers with regular switches. The dimmers don't really cause a problem, but accidently dimming them or keeping them fully on can be.

-Are expensive. 9.50 for a pack of four, which is pretty steep for light bulbs.

-May take a little while to get used to. The light may look sort of strange for a day or two. I liked it, but I didn't really feel comfortable with it for a day or so. Don't worry if you don't really feel comfortable with it at first.

-The rest of the family may not love it. Of course, my dad and sister love the darkness, and they liked our yellow incandescents. I couldn't stand them. They like the house all dark and stuff, but I can't stand it like that. If your family enjoys a bright house, don't worry about it.

-These bulbs, as I showed you, look somewhat strange, and may look weird in open lights (i.e. in a spot not covered by a lampshade or not in some kind of fixture or recess thinger) This is only a problem when the lights are off. When they are on they glow bright enough to look like a normal bulb, and most people don't stare at an exposed bulb.

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Hope you all try 'em out. Get a single pack, or better yet, a single bulb, and test it out in a small room somewhere, and see how you like it.

Remember, this won't replace your lightbox or anything, but it certainly helped to improve my own living environment and make things just feel brighter. The house doesn't seem like some kind of yellow dungeon once it gets dark outside and we have to turn on the lights.