Think I might try a lightbox for motivation vs hibernation this winter.

You never know what November will bring, anything from 70°F to five above zero. Well it’s gonna be close to zero next weekend.

These Seasonal light boxes certainly have dropped in price. Last time I looked a couple years ago there were several variations too ,,I haven’t googled this in quite a while.

I don’t know if these are effective at night, or if they’ll keep you awake then? That said, I started working earlier in the morning so I can leave in the late afternoon while there is still a little bit of light out, and it feels better than driving home in the dark. I have low motivation after driving home in the dark cold.

Don’t have time to use one for the recommended time in the morning before work. Waking up in the dark with an alarm then turning on a fake sunlight box seems kind of weird.

I don’t know if it would be effective using just for 10 minutes in the bathroom getting ready for work...?

Me rambling again

Could you use the light while at work? I think ten minutes while getting ready is enough to make some difference. Using it later in the day probably would disrupt sleep, or at least it has done that in my experience. These lights make some difference for me and a huge difference for my partner, who is strongly affected (physically and mentally) by seasonal affective disorder. I have a friend who weaned herself off of a daily Xanax habit using a full-spectrum lamp, and since then I have not doubted the potential benefits!

I don’t know why my body likes five hour energy drink but I just sip a little bit of that and I’m energetic in a calm way, I’ve mentioned this many times, it’s weird. It’s similar to Red Bull but with zero caffeine. Any other energy drink just gives me the nervous jitters.

So between that and rolling on my foam roller, then jogging in place in the basement seems to help me get off my arse and get outside when it’s dark and cold.

After googling sad lights, I see they have a lot smaller versions of them now too, even target has them online for less than 50 bucks only a foot tall, as thin as a laptop screen. And yes people are putting them mounting them on the wall in their bathrooms for the morning.

Huberman lab that I listen to a lot, says that the most important thing is to get at least 5 min of the sun on a sunny day, or 10 min if it's cloudy/raining. That should happen close to awakening. If it's still dark, strong lights are the next best thing whereas a lightbox would be a lot better than regular lights. And then if possible get some sunlight when the sun rises. 10 min in the bathroom in the morning would be great.

I go for a short walk each morning before work, and when the sun soon rises later, I will take a break when not having any meetings, etc to prioritize getting some sun.

Astro, check out https://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-pe/light-therapy and select the option for "Energy Lights." Once there, see the "goLITE BLU" products. This is what a functional medicine doctor suggested to me, several years ago. I never bought one, but I remembered the brand name.

Deep_sleep said...
Huberman lab that I listen to a lot, says that the most important thing is to get at least 5 min of the sun on a sunny day, or 10 min if it's cloudy/raining. That should happen close to awakening. If it's still dark, strong lights are the next best thing whereas a lightbox would be a lot better than regular lights. And then if possible get some sunlight when the sun rises. 10 min in the bathroom in the morning would be great.

I go for a short walk each morning before work, and when the sun soon rises later, I will take a break when not having any meetings, etc to prioritize getting some sun.

I think it was last November we had 26 days of clouds. It was a record I guess. 20 is prob normal though.

Its good to hear that 10 of a light box might do the trick.

The Dude Abides said...
Astro, check out https://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-pe/light-therapy and select the option for "Energy Lights." Once there, see the "goLITE BLU" products. This is what a functional medicine doctor suggested to me, several years ago. I never bought one, but I remembered the brand name.

astroman said...
Got it.

I researched light boxes and just bulbs years ago and made a post on it............then put it off. You prob contributed to that post as well. Were both long enduring dinosaurs here (ha ha).

The good thing about me being a dinosaur is that I don't remember too far back, so most questions seem new. Even though you've recovered, I'm grateful you're still here to share information and provide inspiration.