Too Bright To See

[andrewducker]

Last week joexnz  mentioned these light bulbs - fluorescent 30W bulbs, the equivalent of 150W incandescents.

And as we live on the ground floor opposite a block of flats we don't get much light into the flat, so buying one and trying it out in the living room sounded like a plan.  It arrived yesterday, so I plugged it in today - and it makes a massive difference.  The light levels are bright enough that even during the day it's visibly brighter.  I wonder if it would help with SAD - or if it would need to cover a wider range of frequencies.

Comments

[lizw.livejournal.com]

Andrew, for something that will be energy-saving and help with SAD, try searching "full-spectrum lightbulbs for birds". People who keep parakeets and similar birds use them because the birds like to use frequencies humans can't see to select their food. I got some for my budgies and found they made quite a difference to my sleep-related problems, which I think are some combination of mild SAD and DSPD (delayed sleep phase disorder). I now use them throughout the house. A lightbox might make even more difference, but I don't think I'd be disciplined enough to sit in front of it for a steady 30 mins - this way, I get the benefits in small doses throughout the day, as I go about my usual business.

[andrewducker]

Thank you - I'll look into that!

[joexnz.livejournal.com]

i think the website said it was close, the lightbox may do more, but when i have it on a room with a regular lightbulb you can tell its on, the daystar totally overwhlems it

[jarkman.livejournal.com]

As I understand it, the thing that makes a difference with SAD is not colour, but having part of your field of view be very bright indeed.

You can't really get bright enough by simply lighting the room better, hence the use of lightboxes.