A strong flashaholic argument for the wife: bright light is therapeutic

i just read these 3 articles (pardon me if there's already something like this posted before ):

http://www.columbia.edu/~mt12/blt.htm

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/light-therapy/MY00195/DSECTION=why-its-done

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080103101121.htm


yes, folks. bright light does wonders for depression and other mental disorders :thumbsup:

lovecpf

That must be why I am always so happy whenever I get a new flashlight to play with.... .

I'd try this with my wife... but it wouldnt stop her from her rants whenever I get a new light.

Alberta-Blue said:

That must be why I am always so happy whenever I get a new flashlight to play with.... .

I'd try this with my wife... but it wouldnt stop her from her rants whenever I get a new light.

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:lolsign:

search
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Unfortunately it applies to overall room illumination - flashlights need not apply. See picture in the 1st link in the OP. You need a bright floody light with intensity and spectrum similar to the sun.

It applies to countries at the extreme North and South of the world, where the hours of sunlight are very short during winter. (Norway, Sweden, Russia, Alaska, Canada, Argentina etc.)
In countries near the equator such as the Philippines there is sufficient sunlight that SAD is not a problem (unless you work in a mine).

LEDninja said:

...You need a bright floody light with intensity and spectrum similar to the sun....

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Oh really?

I smell a new challege for a daring CPFer...

Sundrop or Sundrop XR-U anyone? :thumbsup:

Timing (as seems to be true with many things, wives tell us) makes a big difference.
You can make it better -- or worse. Timing matters.

CET has much info on this, and several online tool for figuring out when to use (and when to avoid) bright light:
http://www.cet.org/en/index.html (the "self-assessment" link)

It's a big area of research; this is a survey article.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1964886/?tool=pubmed

In the 1980s people thought "bright" --like daylight, with UV --was needed; researchers eliminated UV--it still worked;
they eliminated "warm" multiple phosphor lights--it still worked. Plain cool white office fluorescent tubes were used through the 1990s for depression.

Then in 2001 a new visual receptor in the eye was discovered
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=2001+melatonin+receptor

The old "bright lights" worked because they were bright in the narrow effective range: 440–480 nm (strongly emitted in both fluorescent and "white" LED lights).

http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpa2/28/5/28_217/_article

Light is strong stuff, turns out. People most affected are very young children, older people, and some new mothers.
Yellow light from ordinary compact fluorescent 'bug light' bulbs works fine at night to avoid disrupting sleep by the way; it's plenty to read with or get around in a room say to feed a baby or take care of an old person without causing sleep problems.
If you're not in those categories -- younger adults have really robust sleep cycless -- this may be hard to believe 'til you read the science.

Spectra typical of lights with the strong blue emission: Regular fluorescent:
http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/twenty1/palmt-10.gif
White LED: http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/tenth/mag3aa1.gif

CFL 'bug light' -- yellow filter on the tube, blocking almost all the blue:
http://ledmuseum.candlepower.us/seventh/cflbl1.gif

If you're reading this and want more on winter depression that first link above is the best place to start.

LEDninja said:

search
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Unfortunately it applies to overall room illumination - flashlights need not apply. See picture in the 1st link in the OP. You need a bright floody light with intensity and spectrum similar to the sun.

It applies to countries at the extreme North and South of the world, where the hours of sunlight are very short during winter. (Norway, Sweden, Russia, Alaska, Canada, Argentina etc.)
In countries near the equator such as the Philippines there is sufficient sunlight that SAD is not a problem (unless you work in a mine).

Click to expand...

according to the mayo clinic link, this kind of therapy is applicable to all sorts of disorders, not just SAD.

i see flashlights being conveniently utilized for this purpose too, as long as one maintains the 10,000 lux requirement at a max runtime of 45 minutes which we know is easily achievable in this day and age. a light can be directed at the wall or a white panel beside the monitor in an arrangement similar to this:

edit: *picture removed*

the picture, by the way, is of a product called northern light technologies SAD travelite travel lamp light box which retails for 195 usd on amazon. a flashlight can achieve the same results at a much lower cost. the color spectrum concern has been answered in hank's post above as well.

it would be very easy to convince that woman in the picture that she doesn't need to spend that much to get that kind of therapy :nana:

hank said:

The old "bright lights" worked because they were bright in the narrow effective range: 440–480 nm (strongly emitted in both fluorescent and "white" LED lights).

Click to expand...

Excellent! Further proof that buying flashlights really DOES make you happy!!

(well, LED flashlights anyway)


=

headophile said:

according to the mayo clinic link, this kind of therapy is applicable to all sorts of disorders, not just SAD.

i see flashlights being conveniently utilized for this purpose too, as long as one maintains the 10,000 lux requirement at a max runtime of 45 minutes which we know is easily achievable in this day and age. a light can be directed at the wall or a white panel beside the monitor in an arrangement similar to this:

the picture, by the way, is of a product called northern light technologies SAD travelite travel lamp light box which retails for 195 usd on amazon. a flashlight can achieve the same results at a much lower cost. the color spectrum concern has been answered in hank's post above as well.

it would be very easy to convince that woman in the picture that she doesn't need to spend that much to get that kind of therapy :nana:

Click to expand...

A normal LED flashlight emits 10000+ lux only in the hotspot. When you bounce it off a white surface, the reflected light is no longer 10000 lux. Pointing the light at the person does not work either. A slight turn of the head and the person would be blinded from looking directly at the flashlight. There are flashlights bright enough and floody enough to do the job but they are likely more expensive than the dedicated SAD lights. (I'm thinking Elektrolumens wall of fire)

Agreed the specialty lights are too expensive. A couple of 23/27 watt CFLs would do. Even one cool white CFL would do but I like the combined spectra of a cool white and a warm white CFL. Don't like the colour of cool white fluorescent just by itself.

BTW the picture is hotlinked, not allowed on CPF. You have to rehost it.

LEDninja said:

A normal LED flashlight emits 10000+ lux only in the hotspot. When you bounce it off a white surface, the reflected light is no longer 10000 lux. Pointing the light at the person does not work either. A slight turn of the head and the person would be blinded from looking directly at the flashlight. There are flashlights bright enough and floody enough to do the job but they are likely more expensive than the dedicated SAD lights. (I'm thinking Elektrolumens wall of fire)

Agreed the specialty lights are too expensive. A couple of 23/27 watt CFLs would do. Even one cool white CFL would do but I like the combined spectra of a cool white and a warm white CFL. Don't like the colour of cool white fluorescent just by itself.

BTW the picture is hotlinked, not allowed on CPF. You have to rehost it.

Click to expand...

a floody $70 mce flashlight would be great for this purpose. i'm thinking 10,000 lux is easy with the light pointed at an 85% reflective surface from an optimal angle and distance.

i'll take the pic down

Shorter days and longer dark nights do have an effect on people. Studying,researching,collecting and using every type of flashlight made completely eliminates us from this group of endangered ones. We are very very safe!

bladerunner said:

Shorter days and longer dark nights do have an effect on people. Studying,researching,collecting and using every type of flashlight made completely eliminates us from this group of endangered ones. We are very very safe!

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Not really. We spend a lot of our spare time glued to our computers doing research during the day and only go outside at night to use our lights.

I think we are prime candidates for SAD

Black Rose said:

Not really. We spend a lot of our spare time glued to our computers doing research during the day and only go outside at night to use our lights.

I think we are prime candidates for SAD

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Black Rose, You could be right about that..I was just sort of kidding around. I myself love the earlier nightfall because I can use lights as soon as I get home. Because this hobby requires darkness I don't become depressed from it.