Do SAD lamps work? A bright light therapy test and review.

[radowane]

Me watching this from africa where the sun never leaves make me feel grateful for having it even when we get burnt by it

[tonygarcia-fd]

A trick that I do with this type light is I put mine behind the curtains in my living room. The light itself didn't do much for me other than light up the room more, but having it behind a curtain made me feel like the days were longer because it looked like it was daylight outside. For me, just the darkness from the outside and the lights inside not as bright is what was making me tired at 6:30pm lol. Now though, I'm less tired because that light "Coming through the windows" is bright and it helps.

[luib]

Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for your amazing work. I am grateful that you raise awareness for mental health and OCD (especially harm OCD which I feel is often misunderstood). You are such an inspiration. The fact that you've recovered from OCD and it made you a stronger person gives me so much hope and strength to keep working on my mental health. Thank you very much!

[LittleTimmyO]

I wake up at 4:20. On the northern west coast. The winters are brutal. Hardly any sun.
I sit in front of my lamp 16-20” away. It works and increases energy levels.

Not the same model you tested. But it works.

[Applee]

My dad bought me a sad light nearly 10 years ago when I was in high school, and I thought it was useless at the time. Didn’t even give it a shot. I think I’m gonna go dig it out of my dads basement & give it a shot

[sergefps]

Great video. Almost bought one of those small Amazon recommended ones, thanks for straying me clear!

[LauraTryUK]

great video, thank you.
Down the earth and honest.

[nova]

Loved your joke - the SAD lamp fully expressing it's emotions. 😊

[lxMaDnEsSxl]

Thank you for clarifying the science to differentiate what studies say work, as to, compared with in the barrage of options you can buy

[joaodfbravo]

After weeks of disrupted sleep patterns (sleeping from 6h to 14h), I tried a 9.8"x7" SAD lamp from Amazon for 20-30 minutes a day. There were two main effects I noticed:
1. Sleepiness a couple of hours before the usual 5AM, firstly at 3AM, and then at 1AM. I guess this might be a success case?
2. Dry eyes on the days I used the lamp. I don't know if I might be receiving more than 10k LUX or if the UV light isn't properly filtered out.

One important remark: I used the lamp differently than you, Mark. I did not actively try to wake up earlier than usual before using the lamp. I woke up at my usual time, and used the lamp in the first waking hour in the hopes that my circadian rhythm was shortened, and sleepiness came earlier.

[Rayxl]

I'm autistic and suffer from seasonal affective disorder. I would like to check some sad lamps with a spectrosope to see if they radiate all the colours of the rainbow in equal amounts which the brain recognises as sunlight. I could buy an expensive one but need to know its colour spectrum which is never specified.

[Thefrenchcrafter]

For me, the light therapy so far has more effects later in the day. I'm more active even after the sun goes down.

[AdmiralArchon]

I wonder, did you not find it easier to wake up and maintain alertness with the SAD lamp vs sitting and reading with a soft white lamp? I would think the bright light helps the body to wake up and energize a bit easier. I always struggle in dim settings in the AM.

[Silent_Spaces]

Nice vid and hyperlapse. I did try one of the 'dawn simulation' lights for a couple of winters since i was very lethargic in the mornings. I can't say i noticed any difference. What I found interesting was that there was a run of 4 or 5 years when I found I was most anxious in mid to late winter. Was this due to a lack of sun or something else? I couldn't say. These lamps also lack both UV and IR wavelengths so they don't reproduce the potential positive effects UV has on the neuroendocrine system and vitamin D synthesis, nor the warmth provided by IR light. Maybe, that is why I found them so artificial and ineffective. You just can't reproduce the sun in your bedroom, as cool as that might be.

[WillMcCartneyAI]

Hi mark. Interesting video and good points. I'd be interested in your thoughts on how recovery from mental health stuff works when dealing with actual extended physical illness? I have been dealing with pretty severe ibs sympyoms for the past year and I feel that my need to try and research/ understand ways of managing the condition has "delayed" my recovery time, because I've been able to put less time into just living my life. Where is the balance when you actually have an ongoing physical health condition?

[zaraboz]

Carex switched these lamps from CFL to LED. Is LED light as effective as CFL light given the same lux rating at the same distance?

[merchernel]

"Uhhhh...no." LOLOL This is the kind of review I respect.

[kassie]

I bought one of them off of Amazon awhile back (yes, one of the tiny ones with tons of questionable positive reviews lol). I'm bipolar and I noticed I was getting hypomanic on the days I used it, so I stopped, but watching this made me realize that maybe the hypomania was actually caused by waking up earlier/being sleep deprived? Sleep deprivation has been shown to help with depression too, so I wonder if they controlled for that.

[robinvogt]

thank you for this post i also bought the lamp it didnt do anything for me either the only thing it did was get me to sit still for 30 minutes lol thats a good thing because I have a hard time sitting and reading so it served a purpose i sat and read lol

[lestermatos]

whats that little animal thingie you have on your nightstand... id like to get one lol