s.a.d.

[humpomatics]

Hi I was recently diagnosed as possibly suffering from S.A.D. and was suggested using a SAD Light can anyone tell whether or not they work and if there are anything else I should do to prevent me going downhill during Dec - March.

Thanks in advance :)

[Karen2005]

Hello

My husband suffers a mild form of SAD and I seem to get the "winter blues" a bit because of lack of sunlight.

We bought a lightbox a couple of years ago and I think it does make a positive difference. The only problem is that the one we have suggests using it for (I think) 30-45 minutes in the morning. On a Saturday or Sunday, that's fine but weekdays it's a choice of getting out of bed early or using the lightbox for a shorter amount of time. It recommends not using it within a couple of hours of going to bed as it can mess up your body clock.

Speaking of which, we have this fantastic alarm clock. You set the alarm for whenever you want to get up and half an hour before this time, a light gradually comes on until it is quite bright. The idea is that it wakes you up gently, rather than with a bolt, which is horrible on dark winter mornings. At night you can set it in reverse, so you go to sleep to a sunset. Take a look at this site to find out more about the "bodyclocks"
http://www.outsidein.co.uk/

Hope this helps
Karen